Shattered Warriors
by AnimangaRose
Summary: Missing Fairy Tail? Yeah, me too. However, here I give you another great story full of adventures. Read as they meet new friends along the way with extraordinary powers and secrets. Each member will go through incredible struggles that link to their past and deepest insecurities (from insomnia and depression to anxiety). I do not own Fairy Tail (Hiro Mashima does).
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! Welcome to Shattered Warriors! I can't wait to share this amazing journey with all of you. I hope to receive many comments from you guys as well as your thoughts on the story. Hope you continue to read and follow Fairy Tail through their new adventures.**

Chapter One : Happy Anniversary

 **Lucy's P.O.V -**

It's been one year since the fall of Acnologia and the victory of Fairy Tail.

Not much has changed, besides the fact that Gajeel and Levy got married and had a baby!

Their little baby girl's name is Mavis, in honor of Fairy Tail's founder. She's the cutest little girl!

Oh yeah!TAll of team Natsu finally became S-class mages!

"LUCY~" Happy screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Huh?" I yawned.

"Lucy-san you have some drool on your face," Wendy laughed.

"Ah!" I quickly wiped my cheek.

"How could you fall asleep? WE NEED TO PARTY!" Natsu roared.

Fairy Tail was holding a big one year celebration. The whole guild was merry.

"LET'S DANCE!"

"SHADDUP FLAMEHEAD!" Gray yelled from across the room.

"Lucy, you must be very tired!" Mira sat down across from me.

"Mhm…" I took the glass Mira offered me. "I was up all night writing."

"Oh my~" Mira touched my hand. "Make sure to take care of yourself!"

From the corner of my eye, I saw Erza leave the guild quietly. Though the doors were old, they made no sound when Erza opened them.

"Where's Erza going?" I frowned.

Mira looked over at her, "Hmm…I'm not sure."

"Let's go make sure she's alright," I stood up and Mira and Wendy followed after me.

Erza took a big sigh before equipping into normal clothes. She walked over to a stand and bought a bouquet of scarlet roses. Then, she rushed through the town. We struggled to keep after her.

"What if Erza-san is meeting…" Wendy began to blush. "We shouldn't interrupt."

"Haha, my oh my has someone been able to snatch Titania's heart?" Mira smiled.

"I don't think she is…after all, he hasn't come to Fairy Tail once," I whispered.

" _Congratulations, Lucy," Erza smiled._

" _Thank you!" I laughed. "I can't believe this is really happening!"_

" _You deserve every bit of fame," she complemented. "Though the words are…complicated."_

" _Haha. So~ do you have any plans to meet a certain man?" I raised an eyebrow._

 _She looked down at her drink, "I don't think so."_

 _My stomach dropped, "Oh I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything."_

" _Don't be," she sighed. "I'm just not certain anything will change."_

" _Don't worry Erza-san! I'm sure they'll change for the better!" I encouraged her._

 _She nodded. "For the last time Lucy, just call me Erza."_

"I guess," Wendy thought.

Before we knew it, we were out of the town and in a forest. The trees towered over everything. The moon had just begun to rise, sending streaks of red and black in the air. Suddenly, she stopped. Erza crossed her arms. If you looked close enough, you could see her shaking.

"Where are we?" Wendy whispered.

"I'm not sure," Mira replied softly.

Erza slowly got down on her knees and set the flowers on the floor in front of a tree. There was a big sword stabbed into the dirt. For minutes she just sat there, staring.

Wendy tugged at my skirt, "Lucy-san, we need to go."

"Do you know-" Mira asked.

"I'll explain later, but we need to give Erza-san her space…" Wendy began to guide us out of the forest.

I turned and looked back at Erza one more time, only to see one tear slide down her face.

After a safe distance, Wendy stopped and turned towards us.

"Last year when we were fighting Acnologia, Erza-san and I fought against someone named Eileen (Irene). She was Erza-san's mother…" Wendy explained.

"What?" my eyes widened in shock.

"Erza met her mother?" Mira sounded just as shocked. "Wait…Erza fought her mother?"

"Well…to put it shortly, she said many hurtful things. She even told Erza-san that she never wanted a daughter," Wendy spoke slowly. "But right before stabbing herself, she said she couldn't kill Erza-san."

Mira cupped her mouth.

"But Erza-san didn't seem to take it personally. In fact, she was fine. But she made me promise not to speak of it," Wendy frowned.

"Oh Erza…" I began to tear up.

"How do you know that's who she's visiting?" Mira asked.

Wendy dropped her eyes, "The sword in the floor was the one Erza-san's mother killed herself with…"

"I wish she had told us," Mira sat down on a fallen tree. "Erza's mother…"

 _ **Mira's P.O.V -**_

" _Erza!" I ran towards her with my fist aimed at her face._

 _She turned to look at me and then looked back down at the table._

" _Taste my fist!" I taunted._

 _Erza got up and gazed at me, but for some reason, her eyes seemed to stare past me. I froze. She walked out of the guild._

" _Hey Lisanna, I'm gonna follow Erza!" I silently trailed Erza back to her house._

 _When she reached her room, she slammed the door shut behind her. I creeped up to her door and listened quietly. I could just barely hear her whisper, "I'm home."_

 _There was no response. Was she talking to herself? Lame._

 _Before I could finish my thought, I could make out the sound of her trembling breath and sobs. That day, I walked home to be welcomed by Lisanna and Elfman. Only then did I realize how empty Erza's house was._

 **Wendy's P.O.V -**

Mira-san gazed off into space, lost in thought.

"Mira-san?" I sat next to her. "What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking about Erza," she sighed. "Would you guys mind coming to Erza's house with me for dinner?"

"Oh like a surprise?" I grinned. "I'm sure she'll love that!"

"How will we get into her house?" Lucy-san bit her lip. "I'm too scared to break in…"

"Oh don't worry I have her key!" Mira-san chuckled. "Let's go!"

We stopped by the cake shop and bought her a strawberry cake. At Erza-san's house in Fairy Hills, we snuck in carefully. It was cold and dark, the only bit of light coming from an open window. Her house was quite plain, except for a few rows of armour.

"This is Erza-san's house, huh?" Lucy-san said quietly.

"Let's leave the cake in her fridge," Mira-san made herself right at home.

"You and Erza-san must be close, Mira-san!" I followed both of them into the kitchen.

Lucy-san opened the fridge to find it completely empty besides a few bottles of water and and apple. She froze before placing the cake in.

"Well…" Mira-san frowned.

I awkwardly played with my fingers, pretending not to see the pitiful sight, though I wasn't sure why it embarrassed me. "You don't think…Erza-san…doesn't eat, right?"

Erza's door began to open when Lucy-san grabbed Mira-san and me. She pulled us into one of her closets.

"Why are we hiding?" Mira-san asked.

Lucy-san laughed nervously, "Habit."

"I'm home," Erza-san said.

I jumped a little, "Does she knew we're here?"

"No," Mira-san smiled sadly. "I guess some things haven't changed."

Erza-san walked into the bathroom and turned on the sink. Only the rushing water made any noise in her house.

"What are we going to do!" I frantically thought of explanations to why we were hiding in her closet.

"Just come out and say welcome home?" Mira-san suggested.

"We're so dead!" Lucy-san cried.

Suddenly, a sword smashed through the closet door and dug into the wall, barely missing Lucy-san's face. She screams.

"Come out you ro-" Erza-san stopped when we all walked out. "What the…"

"H-hello Erza-san!" I stammered.

"Welcome home," Mira-san grinned warmly.

"How long…why were you...how did you…" Erza-san was at a loss of words for the first time.

Mira-san was the first to answer, "We saw you leave early so we were going to follow you, but lost you along the way. We came here to wait for you, but decided to try and surprise you!"

Erza-san's eyes turned ice cold as she hissed, "Don't lie. I had a feeling someone was watching me!"

Her voice began to grow louder and louder.

"Erz-" Lucy was cut off.

"You can't just follow people around like that!" she was practically screaming at this point.

I covered my ears and pressed myself behind Mira-san. She placed her arm over my shoulder comfortingly.

"Lucy, will you take Wendy back to the guild?" Mira-san's facial expression was slightly different now.

"Ah-" Lucy-san held my hand and began to walk out of the house "Sorry Erza…"

Erza-san didn't speak.

We shut the door behind us and went back to the guild.

 **Mira's P.O.V -**

"Erza, you shouldn't have yelled like that in front of Wendy," I sighed. "It was my fault."

"Leave, Mira," Erza growled.

"Erza, we didn't mean to pry-"

"You didn't mean to pry? You followed me to the forest and then waited at my house, Mira! Get. Out," Erza hit her wall out of anger. She was trembling.

I pierced my lips, "Come talk to me tomorrow after you've calmed down."

"Who are you to tell me to come see you!" she shouted. "Get out Mira before this gets worse!"

I could feel Erza's magic coursing through the room.

"Your friend," I whispered sadly.

Understanding nothing was going to come out of this argument, I walked out of her house and back to the guild.

 **Erza's P.O.V -**

Moments after Mira left, I regretted everything. I knew it was overreacting, but things have been rough. I haven't been sleeping well because of a recurring nightmare.

 _I stood at the foot of the Tower of Heaven, handcuffed. Jellal stood before me._

" _Erza…Erza Scarlet," he smiled._

 _Then, his eyes turned red, fueled with anger. He grabbed by neck and choked me._

" _J-Jellal…" I grasped at his hand, but he wouldn't let go._

 _After the snap of my neck and his laughter, I was transported to the the guild. Everyone looked at me with eyes of hate._

" _You? Apart of our family? Yeah right!" Natsu scoffed. "You aren't apart of any family!"_

" _I hate you!" Lucy screamed at me._

" _We all do," Mira hissed._

" _Get out of here!" Gray growled._

" _Erza…you've been nothing but a burden to me," Master sighed. "At last I am free of you."_

" _To think I ever looked up to you!" Wendy spat._

 _Juvia taunted me, "Loner! Loner!"_

 _Levy held her baby away from me as if I were a monster, "Just leave."_

 _Natsu yelled, "You should've just died!"_

" _That would've made our life so much better," Mira agreed._

 _My Fairy Tail mark began to disappear._

 _Everyone glared at me as the doors to the guild shut._

Not only that, but today only brought memories of my…of her. Though I honestly didn't care about her not wanting me, it was my childish dreams she crushed. When I was younger, I remember pretending that somewhere out in the world, there was a woman with my eyes and my hair looking for me. One day I would come home and she'd hug me and ask me how my day was. Well, those thoughts are impossible now.

I got into bed and lay there, listening to the silence. Hours passed and I did not sleep. I did not want to sleep. So I just lay there, regretting everything I had said to my precious friends.

Early in the morning I got up and went to the kitchen. Another night of no sleep. It was cold that morning, frosty almost. I opened the fridge to find a wonderful cake awaiting me. My heart dropped. I really have to make it up to them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Welcome back :D I hope this chapter isn't too confusing, but stay tuned for the next episode! Everything will be explained (that's a lie; somethings will be explained while others remain a secret ^^) Also, just want to let you guys know that missions will begin on episode 8!**

Chapter Two : Who are You?

 **Mira's P.O.V -**

I came into Fairy Tail and greeted everyone in the guild. I sat next to Lucy and Wendy.

"Hi Mira-san," Wendy smiled.

"Hi! How are you?"

"Better," Wendy put her face in her hands. "But Erza-san hasn't shown up yet."

"I'm sure she's fine Wendy," Lucy comforted her.

I recalled last night's conversation with them.

 _When I arrived at the guild, Lucy and Wendy were nowhere to be seen._

" _Hi Natsu! Do you know where Lucy is?" I asked._

" _Yeah she's in the infirmary room with Wendy. They said they want to be alone," Natsu answered._

" _Alright, thank you!" I ran into the room._

 _Wendy was curled up on the bed and Lucy was rubbing her back._

" _It's okay," Lucy soothed Wendy. "Erza doesn't hate you."_

" _Oh Wendy," I stood in front of her and kneeled so we were eye to eye._

" _D-Does Erza-san hate me now? Does she…does she hate all of us?" Wendy began to cry._

" _I'm gonna give that scarlet haired wizard a talking to!" Carla hissed._

" _W-what did you and Erza-san talk about?" Wendy asked._

 _I thought for a bit, but couldn't find anything good to say, "Well…umm…"_

 _Wendy flopped onto the bed hopelessly._

" _Mira, can you show me where the cake is?" Lucy asked._

" _Umm yeah it's by the-" I finally caught on to what Lucy was doing. "Let me show you!"_

" _I'll bring you a slice, Wendy" Lucy smiled._

 _We walked out of the room so we could talk freely without worrying Wendy. Lucy went and got a slice of cake for our little blue haired mage. Before going in, Lucy turned to talk to me. Her face spoke for itself._

" _It was bad wasn't it?" she sighed._

 _I nodded, "Very."_

"Hey!" Natsu walked up to us. "Erza said she wants to talk to you guys."

"E-Erza-san?" Wendy jumped up. "Really?"

"Umm yeah," Natsu laughed. "Why do you sound surprised?"

"Oh no reason," I smiled.

"Right! We're having a party at the pool today," Natsu said. "Tell Erza to come too!"

"Okay!" Lucy waves Natsu goodbye.

After he left, I turned around, "Do you want to stay here Wendy?"

"No," Wendy clenched her fist, "I must apologize to Erza-san!"

We walked outside to see a disturbing sight. Erza looked absolutely terrible. Her eyes had bags under them and her clothes were rumpled. She was the first to speak.

"Hey…" her voice was raspy. "I just wanted to apologize for yesterday. I've umm…been kinda stressed lately."

Wendy ran to Erza and hugged her. Erza flinched, but I was the only one who noticed.

"I shouldn't have gotten that angry in front of you, I apologize Wendy," she whispered.

"Oh Erza-san, I thought you hated me!" Wendy cried.

Erza's eyes widened in shock, "I apologize again."

"It's okay!" Wendy hugs her tighter.

Lucy held Erza's hand, "Sorry, we shouldn't have followed you."

"I shouldn't have hid anything in the first place," Erza confessed. "I just…didn't want to…"

"You don't have to explain anything you don't want to," Lucy said.

"Thank you," Erza responded. "Mira…"

She looked down, embarrassed.

"I…I am ashamed of my behavior the other night," she began. "I am truly sorry. Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Well, there's a party at the pool today. Come with us?"

"Alright,"she followed.

At the pool, Erza and I sat next to each other, sunbathing. She would close her eyes for a few moments, only to open them abruptly.

"Erza, talk to me," I faced her.

"Hmm?" she closed her eyes again.

"Well it's just that you seem a lot more...tired than usual," I explained. "And I'm worried that something's up."

Suddenly, a big wave of water splashed all of Erza. She shot up to see Natsu and Gray standing in the pool, mortified.

"I-I-I'm so sorry Erza," Gray put his hands in the air.

Natsu nodded furiously, "Aye!"

Erza got up, but then sat down from exhaustion.

"Don't you dare do that again," she growled.

"Yes ma'am!" Gray and Natsu went back to 'playing'.

"You don't even have the energy to get mad at them!" I exclaimed.

Just then, the pool wall exploded, sending debris everywhere. Five figures stood in the midst of the dust. I transformed and smashed a piece of wall flying towards us. Erza merely held her hands before her.

"What are you doing?" I shouted over the noise. "Equip!"

She held her hand out, trying to equip. Nothing appeared.

"You can't use your magic?!" I said.

She tried once more but failed. All the figures began to move, fighting the people around them.

"Who are you!" Natsu yelled, sending a fist of fire towards them.

I rushed over to Erza's side and grabbed her arm.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"You can't fight so I need to get you somewhere-"

A boy appeared in front of me, his face hidden behind his white hair. He sent a bolt of lightning in my direction. Then, a girl appeared before Erza. She threw a punch.

Lucky, Erza was able to dodge. She counterattacked with a roundhouse. The girl had white hair like the boy, but it was the length of her shoulders. She continued to hit Erza with different martial art tactics. Erza was able to keep up, but it was obvious her lack of sleep was affecting her.

"You should worry more about yourself," the boy sent a gush of wind towards me. I flew backwards.

I landed on my feet, now focused on my opponent, "Lucy!"

"Yes Mira?" Lucy ran over to aid me.

"Erza can't requip! Would you mind helping her?" I dodged another attack of his.

Lucy nodded and ran off to Erza.

 **Erza's P.O.V -**

Everything around me was blurry. My brain could barely keep up with her movements. For some reason, she did not use the sword at her side, nor did she use any of her magic I could feel coursing through her body.

Then, I heard a voice in my head. _Still fighting, Titania?_ I tried to ignore it. _Maybe you should just give up. Make it look like an accident._

I continued to ignore it's silky, evil voice. _That is, your death of course. Give up, Titania._ When I came back to reality, the girl punched my gut. I was sent flying into Lucy.

"Erza! Are you alright?" she drew out her keys.

I was breathing heavily and could feel the place she hit me swelling up, "Ughh…"

"Virgo!" Lucy called upon Virgo, ordering her to attack the girl.

I stood up, gripping my side. I watched the girl intently. Her movements were fast, strong, and unpredictable. Even against Virgo's chains, she moved like water. Nothing was working.

"What do you want?" I called out to the girl.

She looked at me with her ice cold eyes, the color of the ocean. My side was throbbing. I lifted my shirt to see a big purple circle forming. I could feel a few of my ribs broken

"Erza!" Lucy ran over to take a look. "We need to take you to Wendy!"

The girl ran towards us, having avoided Virgo's attack. She kicked Lucy into the pool and grabbed my neck. She threw me into the brick wall, making my spit out blood. I managed to grab her arm and kick her when I thought it hit her, I saw her hand grabbing my foot. She tossed me on the floor.

"Erza!" Mira screamed, but was unable to come to me. She was busy avoiding his attacks.

 _Just kick the stupid bucket!_ The voice called to me again. _This is just pitiful, Titania._

I struggled under the weight of the girl's hands on my throat. When I looked into her eyes, everything around me disappeared.

I was in a white, empty room. Suddenly, the room grew smaller and smaller. It shrunk until all four walls touched me. _Is this how you die? Squished in a box, who knows where by who knows who?_ I sighed. Is this truly how I die? Just then, something appeared.

I was standing before a silhouette.

"Who are you?" it hissed.

"Who are you?" I asked.

It pulled out a sword and stabbed my side, sending blood all over the white floor. I groaned in pain.

"I ask the questions," it grabbed my face. "Who. Are. You."

"Erza," I growled.

"Will you answer our questions?" it held its sword at my neck.

"Why should I tell-"

It drove the sword into my shoulder. I sent another scream into the air.

"Will you answer our questions?" it began to twist the blade in my shoulder.

"Like I'll do anything you say!" I was barely able to spit out the words.

Just then, I was transported back to the pool. I could see my friends getting beaten and bruised. I tried calling for them, but they couldn't hear me. They couldn't see me either. That's when I realized, the shadow was just showing me what was happening on the battlefield, but we weren't really there.

"If you want this to continue, then fine by me. I'll kill you slowly along with everyone else here," she shadow taunted.

"You can't beat any of them," I smiled. "They're too strong for you."

"Well then, you obviously haven't seen us fight before," it answered me. "You see them? They're just toying with your friends. Full power and there won't be anything left of them."

I began to worry. Toying with them? I could barely keep up with her even without her using magic. But that was me. I haven't slept in weeks. They on the other hand, were full of energy. If I had a good nights rest then she wouldn't be able to taunt me like this. Was she bluffing? Either way, I decided not to take any chances.

"Call off the fight and I'll tell my friends to answer you questions," I proposed.

I opened my eyes to find myself back at the pool. The girl was still on top of me as if no time had passed. I felt my side and realized there was no sword wound.

"Was that you?" I asked the girl. I'd never seen magic like that before. Transportation magic? No, it couldn't be. None of the wounds that were inflicted upon me in the room were...real.

She didn't respond.

"HEY!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "STOP FIGHTING!"

Though it took the Fairy Tail members awhile to stop, the mysterious people halted immediately, retreating to my side.

"They agreed to stop fighting if we answered a few questions of theirs," I explained.

Before anyone could protest, Master appeared.

"What is all the noise!" he complained, raising his eyebrows at the five strangers. "Who are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

**How are you enjoying the story so far? Let me know in the comments! Hope you like this chapter!**

Chapter Three : Newest Members

 **Makarov's P.O.V -**

Erza stood, beaten badly. In fact, everyone seemed to be a bit injured.

"What happened?" I stomped towards Erza. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Master," she lied. "But these people came here demanding answers."  
"Answers to what?" I asked.

"I'm not sure…." she answered. "But they caused quite a disturbance, as you can see."

"Yes, yes," I nodded. "Go get yourself healed up along with everyone else. I'll take care of these kids."

I turned towards the strange children. Not one of them had a single scratch on them. Hmm. There were five total.

The first was a young man. He was a little taller than Natsu. His hair was unkempt, but a clean white. On the front, his hair dangled over his brilliant green eyes, but didn't cover them. He wore a hakama (Japanese swordsman outfit) with a long sword. Well, all of them wore the same clothes and had the same sword.

The second was a young woman. Her short hair was whiter than snow, while her eyes were a light blue. Her lips were a beautiful red.

Then there was a tall man with short, light, purple hair. His eyes were a deep blue, almost black.

Next was a girl who had very light brown hair. Her hair was in a ponytail, but she still had hair dangling at the front of her face. Her eyes were a bright hazel full of wonder.

Lastly was a man with a dead serious expression. His long hair was grey and tied up while his eyes were black.

All of them were extremely beautiful ⎯ almost doll like.

Once everyone was gone, I faced them, "Well, what do you want?"

"My name is Tanoshi," the first boy I had looked at spoke. "These are my teammates. We would like to know where we are."

"You went through all that trouble just to ask where you are?" I laughed. "Magnolia, Fiore."

"I see," he nodded. "Who are you?"

"I am Fairy Tail's guild master," I cautiously said, not wanting to give too much information to these strange children.

"Guild?" he raised an eyebrow. "What's a guild?"

"Well it's a group of mages who work together like a family," I stated.

"Mages?" he was not following.

"People who use magic…" I spoke slowly. "Where are you from?"

"Well how do we know we can trust you?" he asked. "You could be trying to kill us."  
"I believe you were the ones who came here trying to kill us," I said.

"I apologize…" he bowed. "We're lost."

"Where are you from?"

"We don't know…" he whispered. "But we wish to seek refuge in this town. Start fresh."

"Hmm…" I played with my beard. "If you truly wish to seek refuge, you've come to the right place, but why should I trust you?"

"Before I explain, can you promise us something?" he asked.

"Well let's hear it before I make any promises," I sat down on one of the chairs.

He turned to look at his friends and then looked at me, "If we become allies, would you help us?"

"Hmm….if you are able to prove to me that you mean us no harm and you decide to take refuge here, then yes," I nodded.

The children huddled together and began to speak quietly. Finally, he kneeled before me, preparing to explain their story.

"Have you ever heard of the Tower of Heaven?" Tanoshi asked.

I glanced up at his suspiciously, "Yes."

"Well this is unknown to most, but the Tower of Heaven has a sister tower called the Tower of Shisu. They may not have had the same goal, but they worked with one another occasionally. We come from the Tower of Shisu, whose main goal was to create perfect soldiers. The people running the tower were our parents," he explained. "We spent our whole lives in that tower, until finally, we heard a rumor. Whispers about a world outside of the tower. So we fled."

"Tower of Shisu?" I pondered. "Well how did you escape?"

"Well, after many experiments and training, Nakina (he gestured towards the girl with short white hair) and I became success'. They were able to create….a power inside of us superior to others and much more powerful," Tanoshi sighed. "When we heard this, we decided to escape. We fought as hard as we possibly could."

"How is it that all five of you escaped?" I questioned.

He looked down sadly, "Well, we are the only ones who managed. All of our other siblings were killed."

"So you guys are all siblings?" I asked.

"No, none of us are related. There were a handful of other kids, including our brothers and sisters, who fought hard, but never made it," he whispered. "Because of their sacrifice we were able to make it this far."

I tried to find any loopholes in his story, but couldn't. Though everything was a stretch, it was not necessarily impossible.

"Well, is there any way you could prove this information to me?" I looked at Tanoshi intently.

He looked up hopefully, "If you have a highly skilled doctor, perhaps you should look at our DNA. Surely you would find strands that were modified by out parents!"

"Modified?"

"Yes, you see, none of us were born with magic. They created powers and tried ripping each and every strand of DNA in our bodies and adding strands of magic," he said. "The successes were the ones with 100% of their DNA converted."

I finally thought up a solution, "I will test to see if this information is true. Until then, you will stay in the Fairy Tail cells. After I get your results back, and assuming you are telling the truth, I shall offer you a job. You will work until you have paid off this mess you've made. When your time if up, you can either leave or stay here and join our guild. If you are lying, you will be turned in to the magic council. Is that fair?"

"Yes, thank you," Tanoshi grinned at me. "Also, if we become members of this 'guild' of yours, we will be under your care and protection?"

"If you join our guild, you will officially be apart of our family, so yes," I smiled.

Afterwards, I guided them to the cells where I drew their blood. They put on the magic cuff restraints and sat quietly in the cells. I sent the blood samples to Porlyusica. That night I went to visit them once more.

"It will take around two days for her to get back to me," I informed them. "Now, can you repeat your names once more?"

"Tanoshi," the white haired boy stated.

"Nakina," the white haired girl whispered.

"Hikari," the with light brown hair smiled at me warmly.

"Kagayaku," the boy with light purple hair said.

"Tabiki," the boy with long, grey hair grumbled.

I attempted to remember who was who, but it was extremely hard, "Alright, I'll come back tomorrow morning with breakfast. Hope you guys aren't too uncomfortable."

"No, sir," Tanoshi said. "Thank you."

 **Mira's P.O.V -**

All the Fairy Tail members who were at the pool went to the infirmary. Wendy struggled to heal everyone, but somehow managed. Erza was lying on one of the beds.

"Hey," I sat down next to her.

She smiled weakly.

"You really need to sleep. You couldn't even fight properly today," I scolded.

She nodded and as I was about to leave, she grabbed my hand, "Will you stay next to me?"

I froze and looked at Erza. Her facial expression was worn and full of…fear. I smiled and sat down next to her.

"Oh Erza," I whispered.

"Don't look at me like that," she laughed dryly.

I tried to smile, "I'll stay here, don't worry."

With that, Erza fell asleep.

 **Erza's P.O.V -**

I drifted to sleep.

 _You're still alive I see._

What of it? I hissed.

 _Nothing really. Just a little surprised._

Why?

 _I didn't think you were selfish enough to stay alive and torcher everyone with your existence._

Shut up.

I opened my eyes to see Mira looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Why are you awake? You've only been asleep for a few minutes!"

"Oh…" I sighed.

She urged me to sleep more, so I tried again.

 _Poor Mira has to sit next to you._

She could leave if she wants.

 _Unless she doesn't know that and is just sitting with you out of pity._

I opened my eyes again and said to Mira, "If you have plans then you can-"

"Erza," she said sternly. "I do not have plans so just rest."

 _You're such a nuisance._

I felt someone else sit on the bed. I look up to see Lucy and Wendy. I smile and go back to sleep.

 _I was back on the hill with Jellal, who was slowly moving closer to me. His face was inches from mine when he pushed me back._

" _Oh Erza, I would never love you," he laughed. "No one will."_

I shot up, scaring all of the girls. Lucy even fell off the bed. My whole body was shaking uncontrollably.

"What's wrong Erza-san?" Wendy held my hand.

I couldn't answer her. The room around me was spinning, making me sick to my stomach. There wasn't enough air in the room. My heart rate rose and rose until I couldn't hear anything else except for my rapid heartbeat.

Lucy was about to run out and get Natsu, but I managed to grab her arm, "I'm *huff huff* fine."

"No," Mira rubbed my back, "No you are not."

"It was just *pant pant* a bad dream," I told half the truth.

"Umm," Lucy turned towards me. "You're so pale! And you look sick Erza."

"Don't worry, I'm fine," I was finally able to slow my breathing. "I'm really fine."

"If you say so," Lucy sat back down.

Mira sighed nervously, "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shook my head.

 _That's right. Not like they'd care. It's just pity._

Maybe.

 _Oh Titania, do you finally believe me?_

No.

 _Don't worry, you will soon._

"Be quiet!" I yelled at the voice in my head.

"Umm Erza? Who are you talking to?" Lucy looked around. "No one was taking."

"Oh sorry umm," I tried to think of an excuse. "I just have a headache and…yeah."

"Okay how about you get more sleep," Mira tucked me in. "We will be right outside for you if you need anything."

 _They don't want to be with you. Your a lost cause Titania._

I didn't answer the voice this time.

 **Lucy's P.O.V -**

I walked outside and said hi to Natsu. He came and sat next to me.

"Hey Luce!" he grinned.

"Hi!" I smiled.

Natsu whispered to me, "You know those people we fought with earlier?"

"Yeah…"

"Weren't they…different?" he asked. "They seemed as if they were on a different level."

"Yeah I know what you mean. Their strength…" I said.

"Aye~" Happy joined in.

"They were pretty scary," I admitted.

Natsu reaches over and touched my hand, "Don't worry! I'm stronger than all of them!"

"Y-Yeah!" I turned red.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Mira and Wendy watching us and giggling.

"Well I gotta go bear some sense into Gray but catch you later!" Natsu laughed.

"B-bye Natsu,"

"You like~ him," Happy purred.

I walked back over to Mira and Wendy.

"Aww~" Mira teased. "You guys are so cute!"

"I don't…he's not…we aren't" I stammered.

"Hehe I agree with Mira-san!" Wendy laughed.

I rolled my eyes jokingly, "So…what should we do about Erza?"

"I don't know anymore," Mira said quietly.

Just then, there was a loud thud in the Fairy Tail cells.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! How are you enjoying the story so far? Feel free to leave comments below, I would love to hear what you guys have to say :) Sorry if the new characters are confusing, but hopefully you'll get to know them a lot more in the next chapter!**

Chapter Four : DNA

 **Lucy's P.O.V -**

We all rushed downstairs to see what the noise came from. Nothing appeared to be broken, and the cell was still closed. At that moment, we saw the five strangers sitting and staring at us.

"What was that noise?" I asked.

"I apologize, that was me," the white haired boy (Tanoshi) said. "I was trying to get your attention."

"Oh umm well do you need anything?" Mira smiled.

He shook his head, "It's just that Nakina here wanted to ask you something."

We all turned towards the girl he gestured to. My mouth dropped open. She was absolutely stunning. I looked at all of them and noticed their strange and intense beauty.

"Erza," she whispered, "is she alright?"

"Oh, yes," Mira nodded. "You were the one fighting her, weren't you?"

"Yes. You should tell her to get some rest, she could barely even throw a straight punch," Nakina said. "I'm glad to hear that she's alright."

"Mhm," Mira agreed sweetly. "She's sleeping upstairs right now."

"Sorry about the fight earlier," the boy apologized to Mira. "We were unsure how to go about getting help…"

"Oh no harm no foul!" Mira laughed.

He smiled, flashing his perfect teeth, "Alright, we'll let you guys rest up. Thanks for coming down and sorry for the scare!"

We all said goodnight and headed back up.

 **Natsu's P.O.V -**

I barely managed to make it out of the room before dropping the act. My fake smile disappeared as soon as I was out of Lucy's sight.

"Natsu…." Happy cried. "Natsu…"

I turned my expressionless face towards Happy, "What?"

"Natsu you need help!" Happy screamed at the top of his lungs. "You need to tell them so you can be happy again."

"Be quiet, Happy," I said. "And I'm fine. Just give it some time."

"But you've been like this since Igne-"

"Happy!" I snapped. "Don't…don't finish that sentence."

He hung his head down, "I don't want to keep lying to Lucy."

"Me neither, but I'm going to be fine, Happy," I lied. "Just...just give me more time."

"Okay Natsu~" Happy cuddled against my shoulder, but I didn't feel his warmth.

I went back home and jumped onto my bed. Today was a lot rougher than before. I didn't want to go to that stupid party, I did not want to fight with Gray, and I did not want to fake a smile for Luce. I threw the blankets over me and tried to hide from the world.

 **Juvia's P.O.V -**

I followed Gray-sama back to his house.

"Juvia, come out already!" Gray-sama groaned.

"Gray-sama is always aware of Juvia's presence!" I played with my fingers. "Does that mean Gray-sama loves Juvia?"

"No, I can feel you breathing down my neck," Gray-sama chuckled.

"Well if Juvia was caught, then there is no reason for Juvia to hide," I grabbed onto his arm. "Gray-sama smells like winter."

Gray-sama looked at me, "Is that bad?"

"No, that's Juvia's favorite smell," I could just barely see Gray-sama's face turn a little pink. But maybe that was just my imagination.

Gray-sama turned towards me, "Do you want to go to the mall, Juvia? We could get some coffee."

"Juvia would love that," I squeezed his arm. "Juvia loves to do anything as long as it's with Gray-sama."

"Hey Juvia," Gray-sama stopped as we neared the cafe.

"Yes, Gray-sama?" I asked. "What is it?"

Gray-sama looked up at the sky and then back down at the floor, "Well, I just wanted to say…thank you."

"For what, Gray-sama?"

"Umm...I was thinking about what happened last year and I just," Gray-sama looked deeply into my eyes. "I want you to know that I really… appreciate you. There's no stalker I would rather have."

Tears filled my eyes as I embraced him. For the first time, Gray-sama hugged me back.

 **Levy's P.O.V -**

"Welcome back, Gajeel!" I ran to him and hugged him.

"Hey, Shrimp!" he patted my head. "How's our little Mave?"

"She's been good today, thank goodness," I sighed.

"Hehe," he lifted me and carried me to the sofa.

I snuggled next to him, "How was your day?"

"Good," he stroked my hair. "How about you?"

"There was a fight at the guild today," I explained. "Luckily I left with Mave a few minutes before the outbreak."

Gajeel tensed up, "Levy."

"Yes?"

"If there is every a fight in the guild when I'm not there and you're with Mave-"

"Gajeel," I whispered. "Don't worry, I can fight for myself."

"I know," he chuckled. "But just in case, I want you to run. I don't care what's happening. I don't want you to be the hero I know you are. Look out for your skin first and foremost along with Mave. I know the others will understand your choice."

"Okay," I sighed. "Okay."

"Thank you Levy," he rested his head against mine. "Love you."

"I love you Gajeel,"

 **Makarov's P.O.V -**

Porlyusica called me to her office, frantic. She tried to explain it over the phone, but I had no idea what she was talking about. DNA…artificial magic…three stages of power…and many other things I had no clue about.

"Makarov," she pulled up a 3D model on her computer. "Look at this."

"So that is a…"

"A chromosome. These normally only have four bases, but their DNA has been replaced with different magic bases!" she smiled creepily. "I mean look at this. This isn't even raw magic. It's more like limitless, artificial power contained in every strand…with about three breaking points."

"What does that even mean?" I squinted at the chart. "Three what?"

"Let's take a regular mage. They have two breaking points. One is when they use all of their magic. Their second breaking point is when they use their adrenaline and convert it into magic for a temporary time," Porlyusica explained. "They, however, split their power to three separate parts."

"Okay…" I scratched my head. "But what does that mean?"

"Basically they were implanted with intense and strong magic," she laughed. "It's amazing. I mean…this is revolutionary!"

I nodded as if I understood what she was saying, "So they are telling the truth?"

"Yes," she said.

"Alright, thank you," I waved goodbye. "Time to let them out of the cell."

"Makarov!" she warned, "Be careful. Get on their wrong side and even you will have trouble dealing with these...hybrids."

"They're kids, not hybrids," I corrected her.

"Well whoever gave them these were using them as lab rats," she noted. "They aren't human anymore."

With that, I went back to the guild.

Tanoshi (white haired boy) greeted me, "You've come one day early!"

"Yes, it appears you were telling the truth," I smiled. "So here's the deal. Two weeks of cooking with Mira and serving the members and then you will join?"

"Would that be alright with you?" Tanoshi said happily. "We've decided that we want to join this family of yours. All of your members have incredible amounts of power. Surely they could help protect us!"

I nodded, "Yes, yes perhaps."

"Have you told anyone about us?" Tabiki (grey haired boy) grumbled. "About the tower?"

"No," I shook my head. "That is for you to say at your own time."

"Thank you," Hikari (brown haired girl) beamed. "I can't wait! When do we start working?"

"Now," I unlocked the cell and guided them upstairs. "Mira!"  
"Yes master?" Mira waltzed out merrily.

I introduced her to all the new members, "They'll be working in the kitchen with you for two weeks."

"Grand!" she jumped excitedly. "I'm Mira!"

"Hello!" Hikari hugged Mira. "It's so nice to meet you!"

I bid goodbye and walked back to my office.

 **Mira's P.O.V -**

Hikari was such a wonderful woman. Her smile lit up the whole room and she had a bubbly personality. The others were very kind too. Tabiki and Nakina (white haired girl), however, were very quiet. When I said hi, they just bowed.

Tanoshi, Tabiki, and Kagayaku (purple haired boy) were all naturals in the kitchen. Hikari, on the other hand, was struggling while Nakina just stared at the food.

"So this is an egg?" Kagayaku held it with wonder. "And that's flour?"

"Yup!" I laughed, "You're very quick to learn!"

"Nakina is the best at memorization though," he complimented her. "But I guess she isn't used to cooking."

"It's alright!" I encouraged. "How about Nakina and Hikari work as waitresses?"

"Sure!" Hikari tugged at Nakina's sleeve. "Isn't this going to be fun?"  
Nakina nodded slowly, "Yeah…"

All three of us walked outside. I searched the guild for an easy group of people for them to train on. Hmm…my eyes landed on Wendy.

"Alright, just follow my lead," I walked up to her table. "Hello Wendy!"

"Hi, Mira-san!" she waved.

"Hello Wendy-chan, I'm Hikari!" Hikari reached out to shake Wendy's hand.

"H-Hi Hikari-san!" Wendy shook her hand warmly. "Are you the new members?"

"Yes!" Hikari naturally continued the conversation. "This is Nakina."

"Hi Nakina-san," Wendy held out her hand, but Nakina just stared at it.

Hikari awkwardly elbowed Nakina, who looked puzzled. Then, she hesitantly took Wendy's hand and shook it. She seemed nervous.

"Sorry," Nakina whispered. Her voice was soft and low. "It's nice to meet you."

"N-No, I'm sorry," Wendy's face was pink.

"What do we do now Mira-san?" Hikari asked.

I smiled, "Ask her what she would like to order."

"What would you like to order, Wendy-chan?" Hikari repeated.

"I'd like some soup please," Wendy ordered. "Oh actually can you make that two? I'll take one for Erza-san."

"Two soups," Hikari said. "On it. I'll go tell the boys, Nakina. Do you want to get the next table?"  
Nakina involeterally nodded, "Alright."

I watched her as she went over to Lucy. For a moment, she just stood there.

"H-Hello," Lucy waved. "Sorry but...who are you?"

"Nakina," she replied.

"Nakina!" Lucy said. "That's a really pretty name. I'm Lucy."

"What would you like?" Nakina asked.

Lucy thought for a second, "Can I have some water?"

Nakina nodded and walked back to the kitchen. Nakina reminded me of Erza in a way. She's pretty quiet, but still carries herself in a very confident manner.

"Mira-san," Nakina asked.

"Oh! Yes?" I hadn't even heard her walk behind me.

"The boys need your assistance," she said.

I smiled, "Okay!"

After one week, Nakina opened up a little more. She smiled a bit when I said hi, she spoke louder than before, and she even laughed a bit with members of the guild. Tabiki remained reserved though. Hikari and Tanoshi were as talkative and friendly as ever.

Erza walked into the guild and sat at one of the tables. Just as Hikari walked over to take her order, Kagayaku tapped her shoulder. I couldn't hear him, but Hikari moved on to the next table while Kagayaku walked up to Erza. I scooted closer to listen.

"Hi," he said. "I'm Kagayaku, one of the new members."

Erza looked up tiredly, "Hi."

"Umm….what would you like today?" he smiled.

"Nothing," she rubbed her head. "Thanks though."

Kagayaku walked back into the kitchen and placed a glass of water in front of Erza.

"Hmm?" she glanced up at him.

"Just in case you get thirsty," Kagayaku said. "Let me know if you need anything, Erza."

She nodded and thanked him for the drink. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder.

"Mira-san~" Hikari sang.

I laughed, "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with Nakina and I after our shifts today?" Hikari asked.

"Of course!" I nodded happily. "I'd love that!"

"Should we invite some other girls? I'd love to get to know them!" Hikari suggested.

"Yes, I'll tell them to meet us back here after hours. We can hang out here all night!"

That day I invited Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Juvia, and Levy. I had also heard that the boys were meeting at Natsu's house to party. Tanoshi, Tabiki, Kagayaku, and Gray were all invited. Gajeel couldn't go because he wanted to watch Mave.

Little did I know that tonight would be the start of a journey with our new companions.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five : Girl's Hangout

 **Natsu's P.O.V -**

I splashed my face with water, trying to look more alive. I let out a deep breath.

"Happy?"

"Yes, Natsu?"

I put on a plastic like smile, "How do I look?"

Happy cuddled with my arm, "Sad."

"I'M ALL FIRED UP!" I shouted.

After the words left my mouth, I grew tired. I flopped back onto my bed, dreading the party tonight.

 **Mira's P.O.V -**

After the guild shut down, I set up a round table for all the girls. I brought out some snacks from the back along with some drinks. The girls helped set up and after a few minutes, we were all settled.

"Ah~ it feels so good to be out of the house!" Levy stretched.

"How's Mavis?" Lucy asked.

"She's good! But very loud,"

"Aww! Juvia-san can't wait till Mavis and Levy-san can come to the guild regularly again!" Juvia poured herself a glass. "Mavis and Asuka-chan will most definitely get along."

"Levy-san! You're a mom!" Hikari jumped toward her. "What is it like?"

"Hehe you seem to be interested in babies," Levy chuckled. "Well I love her with all of my heart. It's like a second soulmate. Do you like kids?"

"Mhm," Hikari nodded eagerly. "Love them."

"You'll probably want a lot of kids!" Levy said.

Hikari smiled, "Well I would but I can't have kids."

Everyone went quiet.

"I-I'm so sorry," Levy apologized.

"Oh don't be!" Hikari was not offended at all. "After all, we've known this for awhile now."

"Yes," Nakina agreed.

"I'm so glad to see you've become more open, Nakina-san," I changed the subject.

"Nakina-san has always been open. She's just very cautious," Hikari explained.

Nakina laughed, "You see, a week ago we weren't going to stay here. But after while, Tanoshi and everyone decided they really liked this place. So I guess now we can all be aquantanced."

"We can be better than aquantanced, we can be friends!" Lucy smiled.

Juvia agrees along with me, "Nakama!"

Nakina stood up and moved in front of everyone. She looked at us intently until finally, she dropped onto her knees and put her head on the floor. Hikari followed after her.

"We would like to formally apologize for the trouble we have caused all of you," Hikari began.

"Oh no no no please get up!" I rushed over to them.

Juvia also stood up, "Yes, it was no trouble at all. In fact, Juvia also caused Fairy Tail much trouble in the beginning."

"Yes, but we've never gotten the chance to do this formally," Nakina said.

"All is forgiven, please get up," I held out my hands for them.

After some talking, we decided to get to know one another a little more.

"So what kind of magic do you guys use?" Hikari asked.

We went around explaining and demonstrating our magic. They were extremely impressed. Soon it was Juvia's turn. When she began to show off her powers, Hikari and Nakina froze.

"W-Water?" Hikari asked nervously. "Haha I'll never mess with you Juvia-san."

"Juvia is confused," Juvia tilted her head.

"Oh! Umm it's nothing haha," Hikari looked away.

Despite knowing it was most definitely not nothing, we decided to move on. Afterall, some things take more time - more trust - to be explained. When it was Erza's turn, she hesitated.

"Is everything alright?" Levy asked.

Erza took a sip of her drink, "Well I've been having some problems with my magic, that's all. But there's no harm in trying."

She held out her hand and focused. After a little, Nakina spoke.

"Normally when you can no longer use magic, it means you are physically drained,"

"Really?" Erza pretended to act surprised. "Well I have been having a little trouble sleeping lately."

"Why?" Levy asked worried.

"Nothing serious," Erza smiled. "Just been thinking about whether or not I should go on a long term S-class trip."

"Woah!" Lucy leaned in. "Wait….by yourself?"

"Maybe, not sure yet. I feel the need to improve my skill,"

I knew Erza was lying because of how she's been acting, but I didn't call her out. Afterall, she would come to me if she needed help….I hope.

"So Hikari-san, Nakina-san, what magic do you use?" I asked.

"Oh!" Hikari stood up, excited as she pulled out a big bag from underneath the table. "Are you ready?"

We all nodded eagerly. She began to move her fingers. Slowly, the zipper began to move. A hand shot out from the bag.

"AH!" Lucy and Wendy jumped and hid behind Erza while Levy and Juvia moved behind me.

A body crawled out of the bag and moved on all fours. It was a wooden figure.

"Puppet magic," Hikari laughed as she commanded the puppet to wave at us.

"Woah!" Levy moved towards the figure. "So you can control this in battle as well?"

"Yes," Hikari explained. "It can be quite deadly when I want it to be. Otherwise, it's just a doll."

"Amazing!" Levy said as the puppet hugged her. "Can it hold weapons?"

"Mhm, it can do anything a human can. But it obviously doesn't have a consciousness or emotions or any of the five senses!"

"That's good, then it won't feel pain in battle!" Lucy stopped hiding. "Can you control more than one at once?"

"Two is my maximum,"

We all admired Hikari's magic as the puppet danced for us and served us more food. Then, Nakina stood. Erza seemed uncomfortable.

"Are we gonna see...your shadow friend?" Erza asked.

"No, I'm sorry for that," Nakina apologized. "I'll explain in a moment. Would you all mind looking at me?"

We faced her. Suddenly, all of us were on a beach, laying on the sand. The water would cover our feet, only to move away after a few moments.

"Teleportation magic?" Juvia asked.

"No," Nakina grinned. "Levy-san, would you mind if I demonstrated something on you?"

"Not at all!" Levy seemed eager.

We were all moved into a white room with something playing on one side of the wall. It was a video of a house? The camera moved around the kitchen until we saw the living room. Gajeel appeared on the screen.

"Hey shrimp!" he hugged the camera, which we all realized was Levy.

"Hi~," she cuddled against him. "How's Mave?"

Levy's face began to turn redder and redder, making us all a little uncomfortable.

"She's been looking for you all day," Gajeel laughed as he carried her to the couch.

"How can you tell?" Levy giggled. "She can't even talk."

"I can see it in her eyes," Gajeel smiled. "She has your eyes."

"She has your hair. Oh-I cooked some fish for you," Levy said. "Though it got a little burned…"

"I'm sure it's great," he kissed her cheek. "Do we have any metal?"

"Yeah I put it on the side,"

"Thanks honey,"

The wall turned white again.

"H-How did you…" Levy was as red as Erza's hair.

Juvia stared at Levy, "Juvia didn't know Gajeel-sama could act...cute."

"Hehe looks like we got a little sneak peek," I teased.

"Wow…" Lucy was blushing too.

Erza was closing Wendy's eyes protectively as she said slowly, "Levy…"

"N-Nothing even happened! Why are you closing her eyes?" Levy asked.

"Levy…." Erza repeated, completely taken aback.

"You guys are so cute!" Hikari giggled.

"Well to put my magic simply, I can go into your mind and I can take you into mine," Nakina said.

"So you can basically see all of our memories?" Levy asked.

Nakina hesitated, "Well...I can see a few fragments of memories and choose whichever I want. Though I never know what it is until I watch it."

"Woah…" Lucy's mouth was open.

Nakina returned us to the guild, exactly where we were. It felt like I had woken up from a daydream.

"Amazing," Wendy smiled. "Does that mean you could also show us your memories?"

"Yes...I could show you anything I please since it's up to my imagination. I could even take you into your own minds to explore," Nakina thought as she spoke. "But I normally don't do that. It can get a little...personal."

"I see," Wendy nodded.

"But if there is something you'd like me to do, just ask," Nakina grinned kindly at Wendy. "Keep in mind I'll see everything too though."

Wendy was ecstatic, "Thank you!"

"So, where are you guys from?" Lucy asked.

Hikari looked at Nakina before answering, "Umm…maybe we should save that for another time."

"It's quite a long story," Nakina added.  
"Don't worry," I reassured them. "You never have to feel pressured to share if you don't want to. Over time we can all open up to one another in our own time."

"Thank you," Hikari gave a sigh of relief. "That means a lot."

She hugged me.

"No problem!" I laughed cheerfully.

"It's getting really late, I think we better start closing up," Erza stood up and began to clean.

"Oh my! Poor Gajeel," Levy helped along with everyone else, at the end, we all got ready to leave.

"Master told us to sleep here for tonight, but we'll see you guys tomorrow!" Hikari waved goodbye.

We said our goodbyes and went home.

That night we all learned a little bit about one another, but we also learned that there were a lot of secrets too. Erza and her personal struggles as well as Hikari and Nakina's past. It didn't take long for all of them to come tumbling out into the open, causing chaos for all of us.

 **Hello! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and got to know the new characters a little more. Keep reading to learn why Hikari and Nakina can no longer have children, why they are afraid of water, and many more interesting facts ;) Stay tuned for the next chapter about the boy's night out together. Feel free to leave comments on the bottom!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six : Boy's Hangout

 **Gray's P.O.V -**

We all arrived at Natsu's house around seven for dinner and drinks. Natsu welcomed us at the door, his eyes looked tired.

"Hey!" he greeted and led us inside.

"Thanks for inviting us!" Tanoshi waked in.

Natsu laughed, "Well Gray invited himself over but no problem!"

After a few rounds we started taking.

"So where you guys from?" I asked.

"We just traveled around a bit," Kagayaku took another sip. "Never stayed in one place too long."

"Even forgot the city names over time," Tanoshi added.

"What magic do you guys use?" Natsu created a ball of flame. "I'm a dragon slayer!"

"Ice mage," I created a snowflake.

Kagayaku said confidentially, "Tiger transformation."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Basically I can take the form or trait of a tiger," Kagayaku said. "Dragon v.s. Tiger"

"Duh, dragon!" Natsu scoffed. "That's not even a question."

"I'm not so sure about that," Kagayaku teased. "Your form is sloppy, your fire is inaccurate, and you work purely off of impulse."

"What!?" Natsu got up and marched over to him. "How would you know?"

"The first time we fought I picked up a few things. Plus Nakina did a full analysis," Kagayaku revealed. "She's got information on all of you."

"How?" I asked. "It was all from the first day we fought?"

"Yeah," Tanoshi said proudly, "her eyes are something else."

"What about you?" I asked Tanoshi.

He smiled sheepishly, "Storm and natural disasters."

"Woah so like earthquakes?" Natsu asked.

"Well yeah," Tanoshi said. "But I can only use them within a certain range."

"I see!" I nodded. "So any power using elements is at a disadvantage with you."

"The type of power doesn't matter, it all depends on how you use it," Tanoshi pointed at Tabiki. "He's the skilled one."

"What do you do?" Natsu questioned.

"I don't got no powers. Just use the old hand and foot," Tabiki grumbled.

"But he sure can fight like he does. He can fight anyone with magic without being at a disadvantage. That's how skilled he is," Tanoshi added. "One punch can take down a house!"

"You have my respect," I leaned toward him. "I remember fighting with you. You really did have some out of this world techniques. I can't wait to see you fight sometime!"

"FIGHT ME!" Natsu roared.

Happy joined in, "AYE!"

"Woah! You can talk?" Kagayaku shook Happy's paw.

"Aye, it's because I'm blue!" Happy explained.

Tanoshi said, "I see!"

"Hey!" Kagayaku's face was a little red. "Is Erza with anyone?"

"YOU LIKE ERZA?" Natsu screamed. "Oh gosh...good luck man. I hope you make it out alive."

"Why?" he asked, scared.

"Well besides the fact that she's the scariest woman we know and that she can demolish a whole town in seconds, she's kinda waiting on this man," I laughed.

Kagayaku was suddenly serious, "She shouldn't have to wait on anyone. If this man isn't running towards her then he doesn't deserve her!"

We all went silent for a second. I'd never seen someone so worked up over Erza and Jellal. Even though he's put her though so much, made her cry multiple times, and even almost killed her a few times, no one has ever doubted their love for each other. At least not until now.

"Umm…I've never really seen her flustered about a guy other than the one she's waiting for. But by all means go for it," I said.

"Mhm. Afterall, we plan to stay here so mind as well start making new bonds with everyone here!" Tanoshi smiled. "Nakama…"

"Welcome to the family," I added.

Kagayaku seemed happier after telling us about Erza. I didn't know if I liked the idea of someone with so many secrets trying to get with Erza. Or the fact that they could leave at any moment. But I know Erza can take care of herself. And if they hurt her, we'll hunt them till the ends of the earth. There's nowhere they could hide. Natsu seemed a little suspicious too, but for now, we kept silent.

"So...are any of you dating?" Tanoshi questioned.

"Yeah Natsu and Lucy," I teased.

At the same time, Natsu said, "Yeah Gray and Juvia."

"NO!" both of us screamed at each other.  
"FLAMEHEAD I'M NOT DATING JUVIA!"

"ICE PRINCESS I'M NOT DATING LUCY!"

All of the boys started laughing.

Kagayaku nodded, "I see how it is."

"SHADDUP!" we both growled at them, making them laugh harder.

Tanoshi began to speak, "I'm glad we found this guild. I feel like I'm finally home."

"Me too," Kagayaku sighed. "Me too."

"I'm glad to hear that," I poured each of them another glass.

Tabiki merely took another sip of his drink, but I could just see a small smirk appear on his face. He went to the bathroom.

"What about you guys? Any of you dating?" Natsu changed the subject.

"No," Tanoshi chuckled. "We're like siblings."

"Yeah, but I think Tabiki has a thing for Hikari," Kagayaku whispered. "I've only ever seen him smile once when he was talking to her."

"Hehehe," Natsu laughed suspiciously. "We should tell Mira."

"Mira?"

"Yeah she's like the cupid of Fairy Tail,"

We went on like that for a few hours.

"Hey where are you guys gonna stay?" Natsu was putting dishes into the sink.

Tanoshi passed him another plate, "The guild's infirmary."

"Are you guys gonna be okay there?" I asked.

"Yeah, the girls are there too," Kagayaku smiled. "Master's very kind."

With that they were off to the guild. I bid Natsu goodbye as well and went home.

 **Natsu's P.O.V -**

After they left, I was finally able to relax. I didn't need to pretend to be interested, nor did I need to yell or smile and laugh. Happy and I got into bed.

"Natsu," Happy cuddled next to me.

"Yeah?"

"I hope you get better soon so we can hang out with everyone like we used to."  
"I hope so too…."

"Goodnight Natsu,"

"Goodnight Happy,"

 _Igneel wrapped his tail around me and pointed to the letters scribbled onto the floor._

" _A"_

" _A" I repeated._

" _B"_

" _B" I looked up at him. "Igneel?"_

" _Hmm?"_

" _Why do I have to learn to read? I wanna learn how to breathe fire like you!"_

" _Well, what if you need to help someone in a specific town, but you can't read any of the road signs?"  
_ " _I could just ask people," I laughed.  
_ " _But what if that takes too long or if everyone is too busy running away?" Igneel rubbed my head. "And don't worry, I'll teach you how to breath fire."_

" _Just like you?"_

" _Even better," he smiled._

I opened my eyes and stared at the dark ceiling. Igneel…

I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and went back to sleep.

 **Erza's P.O.V -**

" _I never respected you," Kagura growled._

" _I hate you!" Millianna cried._

 _Bisca chuckled, "You aren't wanted here."_

" _Erza," Jellal looked at me with disgust. "You know the real reason I haven't come visit you is because I don't want to see you."_

" _You're a burden all of us have to carry," Mira sighed. "Even when we were younger I never saw you as a friend."_

I woke up at the jolt of my body.

 _Man you really are hated by everyone._

Why won't you let me sleep in peace?

 _Why won't you let everyone else live in peace without you?_

Ugh.

 _Simon was standing in front of me, blood spilling from his lips._

" _I don't know why I wasted my life for you," he growled._

I'm sorry.

" _You should've died instead."_

I know.

" _I hate you"_

You should.

 _Grandpa Rob appeared next to him._

" _I agree with him. Why did I waste my life on you?"_

I don't know.

" _You should've died,"_

I already told you I agree.

 _Poor souls. Dead because of you._

Yeah. I know.

 _You should've gone back to the tower to save them._

I agree.

 _Instead you left them behind._

Yes, I did.

 _Do you feel guilty?_

Yes.

 _I sure hope you do. That's the least you could do._

I'll carry that burden forever.

 _That you will._

What are you anyway?

 _You._

I opened my eyes and walked out to the balcony for some fresh air.

 _You know how you could make it up to them?_

How?

 _Jump._

No.

 _Jump._

I won't waste their sacrifice.

 _Oh Erza, always making excuses. They died because of you. Why should you live?_

I don't know.

 _Jump._

I slowly walked to the edge and looked up at the sky. The crescent moon frowned down on me.

 _JUMP!_

I exquiped out of my armour and stepped sat on the ledge.

 _Titania, this is how you make up for everything. This is the end. Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump._

I'm not going to-

 _Selfish._

I'm not…

 _How many people have suffered because of you!_

I know!

 _If you know then jump! Jump jump jump-_

But I don't think tonight-

 _Excuses. Jump._

Stop…

 _Jump...jUmp….juMp...jumP...Jump…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi! Can't wait for next week's chapter where they go on their first mission :) Hope you're as excited as I am! This episode mainly focuses on Nakina and Erza's relationship. Enjoy!**

Chapter Seven : Jump

 **Erza's P.O.V -**

The cold wind brushed against my cheek, making them a light shade of pink. My messy hair moved around in the wind, covering my face.

 _Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump._

I've heard enough of you.

 _You know once your dead, you won't have to listen to me anymore._

Is that so?

 _Jump._

My heart rate began to increase, the thumping noise filling the air.

 _Jump titania, I want to see you fall._

I sat there for a few moments, staring. Was this really the right thing to do? Is this how I atone for everything? Is this the only way to get that stupid voice leave my head?

 _Coward._

Maybe.

Suddenly, there was frantic pounding at my door. I slowly got off the ledge and opened the door. Nakina stood there, staring at me.

"Erza-san," she walked into my house without invitation. "Pardon the intrusion but I really must stop you."

"Stop me from what?" I asked.

"I'm not quite sure. Sorry, but when we were looking at Levy's memories earlier I accidentally got a peek at yours. There was something dark glooming over everything. It was something that I recognized," she sighed.

"I don't follow," I lied.

She smiled sadly at me, "I know you do."

We stood there in silence, just looking at one another.

"You know," she began. "Sometimes it's easier to talk to someone who doesn't know you that well. Or someone other than the people in your dreams."

"How do you…" I remembered she could look into my mind. "Oh."

I thought about it and agreed with what she said. It would be easier to talk to someone who doesn't know me well.

"I…" I sat down next to her. "Umm…"

She looked at me and the world around us faded away. We were in the middle of a small cottage, the fireplace running. The sky was lit with millions of beautiful stars of all different colors.

"Where are we?"

"Welcome to my little home," she laughed. "This is where I spend most of my time when I'm thinking."

"It's lovely," I looked around. There was a pot of tea cooking and a small desk full of papers in the corner. Out in the backyard was an amazing garden full of wild plants.

"Thank you," she poured me a glass. "Do you want anything?"

"What do you have?" I asked.

She chuckled, "Literally anything you want."

"Could I have a strawberry cake?" I sheepishly said. "If it's not too much-"

A big cake appeared before me. She smiled and continued to order the plates and cups in her cabinets.

"Do you remember what I told you? This is my mind, I can make anything happen as long as I can picture it," she finally settled next to me.

"So if I eat this…"

"It'll taste like you ate it, but when we go back you won't feel full because you didn't really eat anything," she said.

"Great!" I ate without hesitation. "Man if I could come here and relax I don't know if I'd ever want to leave!"

"Well you're welcome to come anytime," she invited. "After all, it's not like time passes."

"What?"

"Yeah, a year here could be like a few minutes there. It depends on what I want,"

"Amazing…"

"Back to you though," she said. "I normally don't bother people about things like this but…." She stopped talking.

"But what?" I asked.

"Well I don't know. I just…" her face turned a little pink. "I want to be friends with you…"

I smiled and began to laugh. I've never been one for making kind first impressions, but it was nice. She wanted to be friends… with me

 _No she doesn't._

Then why would she ask?

 _Because she wants to corrupt your mind. Think Titania, at any moment she could trap you here, torcher you. No time will pass. You'll be here forever._

"I'm glad to hear that," I stopped laughing as I listened to the voices in my head. "Well no magic is perfect. There must be a way to break out of this."

She froze, "Well...yes."

"How?"

Nakina went back to sipping her tea before responding, "Umm…"

"If you want me to trust you, mustn't you trust me as well?" I said.

"Yes," she nodded. "It's quite simple, just like a dream, the moment you are able to recognize you aren't awake, you gain the ability to leave at any given moment you wish."

"So the person just needs to recognize that it isn't real," I noted that in my head. "I see."

"Though by the time most are even able to consider such a thing, I will have already killed them,"

I looked up at her, "Kill? You've gone on missions before?"

She quickly shut her mouth as if she let out a secret, "No, forget what I just said."

"And to let you know, killing is not an option here at Fairy Tail," I told her sternly. "I don't care what you've done before, but as of now you are not allowed to take the life of anyone!"

Just then, there was a bang at the door.

"Just ignore that," she brushed it off as it was nothing.

It continued to pound at the door, making me wonder if it was going to knock it down.

"What is that?" I asked.

"Let's just call them unwanted thoughts," she chuckled sadly. "Just like yours."

"How do you block them out?"

"Mmm, that's a difficult question to answer. First, I would suggest you stop speaking to it. If it doesn't stop, then that's when I would try the last resort."

"And what's that?"

"One thing at a time Erza-san,"

She returned us to the room. It was day, the sunlight dripping into the room and onto the dining room table.

"Day already?"

"Well I figured you wouldn't be sleeping so mind as well get the night over with," she laughed.

We went to the guild together that morning. They were officially becoming Fairy Tail members today. They had served their time and were ready to join our family.

 _Miss me?_ I ignored the voice.

 _Oh the cold shoulder? Do you think that'll work on me Erza? Please. In the end you'll get tired of this and end up back on the balcony ledge. And I will be the only voice you can hear. Well, the only voice that'll even want to speak with you Titania._

Master came down and celebrated with us as Mira marked them. Each got a matching tattoo on their right forearm. They wanted a black base with white wings.

"WELCOME!" Natsu roared.

"WOOHOO!" Gray joined in.

They clapped with us, thanking everyone.

Tanoshi shook hands with Master, "I'm glad our journey led us here."

"As am I," Master handed them glasses of champagne.

"Hear hear!" Kagayaku laughed. "So when do we get to fight some people!"

"I assume all five of you want to be in a group?" Master asked.

"Yes," Tanoshi responded for everyone, but they nodded in confirmation.

Master smiled, "Well then you can start tomorrow. Erza, may I speak with you in the back for a moment?"

"Yes, Master," I walked with him without question.

He turned to me after leaving the hearing range of everyone, "Since they're new, I was wondering if you would like to act as their leader for a little while."

"I don't follow," I thought about it for a moment. "Do you mean...leave Lucy and everyone?"

"Well I mean you, Natsu, Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Wendy, Happy, and Carla are all together and since you all've become s-class mages, I thought it wouldn't hurt for you to help them for a bit," he scratched his head. "But now that I think of it, it is a bit troublesome. Perhaps Mira wouldn't mind joining them on their first mission."

"Umm…" I looked over at all of them laughing together and felt a little emptiness inside of me.

 _No one wants you. Even Makarov knows you don't belong anywhere._

"I guess a few missions wouldn't hurt," I responded. "After all, someone has to see where they are power wise."

"I just had a wonderful idea!" he jumped up, scaring me. "How about all of you take an s-class mission together? Then you can evaluate them. If something goes wrong, all of you will be there to fight. Take Mira, Gajeel, and Levy with you though. Five…ten…fourteen mages not including Happy, Carla, and Panther Lily.'

"That's a very big group, Master," I chuckled. "I'm not sure even I could tame them. But what about Mave?"

"Yes yes," he pondered. "I can take care of Mave. I want them to get back out into the field though. Blow some steam haha. But that's ultimately up to them."

"What mission would we take?" I asked. "I'm not sure any mission will be very challenging with such a big group."

"I have one in mind," he pulled out a paper and showed me.

"All across Fiore…small town…overtaken by a large group of lunatics…have no logic and attack randomly…killed hundreds," I skimmed through the general idea of the mission. "Known for torture, killing, and messing with people's minds. Sounds delightful."

"Mhm," Master looked at the paper. "I think it says on there that they use a drug to slowly make you go insane."

"I don't think Levy or Gajeel should participate in this mission, Master," I frowned. "They have a young child."

He nodded, "Yes, I suppose."

"No way," Gajeel walked towards us. "No way am I missing out on that!"

"Well Erza makes a good point," Master shrugged. "You have Mavis."

"With all due respect, Master, I think that we should go on this mission," Levy joined in. "Pushing ourselves to work in the guild shouldn't stop when we have a kid."

"But Mave isn't even one!" I laughed. "Perhaps when she's older but not now when she needs her mother."

"How long will this mission take?" Gajeel asked.

Master calculated in his mind, "With such a lively group maybe a week? One day travel there, five day mission, and one day travel back."

"It's okay Gajeel, you can go and I'll stay with Mavis then," Levy smiled.

"No!" he shook his head. "Baby we can trust them. Plus I think this'll be good for us."

"Alright!" Levy grinned. "Let's do this!"

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes," Gajeel nodded furiously. "One-hundred percent."

"Very well," I said. "Just make sure to listen to me or else I'll send you guys right back."

They agreed to my terms. Everyone who was invited were ecstatic, ready to go off on an s-class mission together. This is where the fun really began. But I also didn't know how much we would lose.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi! How're you enjoying the story? Let me know in the comments section below :) I love to hear from you guys. From here on out the story will only get better!**

Chapter Eight : Lucid Nightmares

 **Lucy's P.O.V. -**

The next day we all got onto the train around four in the morning. Erza ran up behind Natsu and punched him, explaining how that should end his suffering. It was a five hour ride. Erza told me to take care of Natsu while she went to check on the others. Gray and Juvia were in the same cart as me.

"Nnnggngngeoinew" Natsu moaned in his sleep, still feeling the rocking of the train.

Juvia cuddled next to Gray, rubbing her head on him like a cat. Gray protested at first, but seemed to like it a bit. After an hour or so, they fell asleep in that position. I held back the urge to take a picture of them.

"Lucy~" Natsu opened his eyes a little.

I smiled at him, "Mhm?"

He grinned at me and then went back to sleep, his hand grabbed onto mine, "I feel sick."

"Sleep till we get there," I blushed as he squeezed my hand.

Gray woke up to find himself leaning against Juvia. He looked at me and turned beat red.

"This never happened," he whispered.

"Sure," I winked at him.

Happy purred, "He likes~ her!"

He saw Juvia's hair covering her face and gently pushed it aside, tucking it behind her ears. Then he went back to sleep. Juvia slowly opened her eyes and chuckled quietly.

"Did love rival see that?" she giggled. "Gray-sama love Juvia. Not you."

"I was never your love rival!" I opened my mouth in protest.

Happy laughed, "Yeah! Lucy's all for Natsu~"  
"HEY!" I shouted, smacking his big blue head.

 **Levy's P.O.V. -**

Gajeel and I cuddled together as Erza explained the game plan. The only other person in our cart was Mira who had come in with Erza. They had closed the door after coming in.

"Alright, before we arrive there are a few things I need to clarify with you," Erza said. "One, under any circumstance that you feel you can get hurt, you are to leave."

"Okay but in any scenario we could get hurt. This train could crash and we could get hurt. You're gonna need to be more specific," Gajeel laughed.

Erza glared at him, making him shift uncomfortably, "In any case where you feel as though your life or overall physical health could possibly be in danger."

"Erza-san, we can take care of ourselves," I moaned. "Don't worry."

"But Levy-san," Mira touched my arm. "You need to think of Mavis."

"Yes," Erza agreed. "Since we have such a big group, we are splitting off into smaller groups to divide and conquer. Group A is Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Wendy, Carla, and Kagayaku. Group B is Gray, Juvia, Tabiki, and Hikari. Group C is Mira, Levy, Gajeel, Panther Lily, Tanoshi, Nakina, and me."

"Umm why do we have so many people?" Gajeel asked.

"Well if something bad happens then Mira will take you two and escape while the rest of us will fight," Erza explained. "Worst comes to worse we'll send another one to escort you."

"Come on! Treat us normally!" Gajeel complained.

I nodded, "I think a mission done separately will help us improve more!"

"Then how would you like to split the groups?" Mira questioned.

"Move Gajeel and Panther Lily to Group B so that Group B and C are equal in number," Levy proposed. "After all, Group C has Erza and Mira as well as the two supposedly strongest members of the new group."

"Very well," Erza nodded. "Group A is supposed to head East into the city while Group B is supposed to head West. Group C will head straight North. After a few hours we are to report back outside of the town and share information. Then we will figure out what to do from there."

"Sounds good," Gajeel agreed. "But what if a group doesn't come back?"

"Then it becomes a rescue mission. Both remaining groups will head in the direction of the missing one," Erza sighed. "But if this happens, you two will be sent back right away."  
"And if one of us is in the missing group?" I barely whispered.

Mira shook her head, "That won't happen. But if it does then our first priority is to get you out no matter the cost. We'll figure it out from there."

"We should have a meeting point if something bad happens to every group," Gajeel proposed. "We are to travel there every three hours you can to regroup."

"I'm not sure what's in the city, but I have an idea," I thought. "On the very right corner of the first floor of whatever building, engrave your initials and the time of arrival at that spot."

"I see!" Erza said. "But since this place is supposedly full of lunatics, we should leave before the moon is up. The train only takes us to the city outside of the forest around 9. We need to walk through the forest and arrive around 12. We'll have until 7 pm to meet back. At 8, if you are not there, you will be labeled missing."

"Alright. You should go tell the others about the plan," I smiled.

GROUP A : Natsu D., Happy, Lucy H., Wendy M., Clara, and Kagayaku

GROUP B : Gray F., Juvia L., Tabiki, Gajeel R., and Panther Lily

GROUP C : Mira S., Levy M., Nakina, Hikari, and Erza S.

PLAN : Disperse at 12:00 pm, return at 7:00 pm, and final deadline at 8:00 pm.

 **Mira's P.O.V. -**

Erza and I went group to group and explained the plan. They all agreed and we arrived right on schedule.

"I'M ALL FIRED UP NOW!" Natsu ran in circles, screaming.

Erza smacked him, "Be quiet. We need to-"

She stopped talking as she looked up at the trees. Suddenly, she walked in front of Wendy and embraced her, covering her face.

"Wendy, don't look," Erza stroked her hair as she frowned.

We all glanced up, jaws dropped. In the trees was a mangled body. It was impossible to tell what was what. There were merely strings of flesh hanging around like banners. Gajeel stood in front of Levy and covered her eyes.

"W-What was that?" Levy whispered in horror.

Erza frowned and walked closer, "It was a person not an animal."

I turned to Levy, who seemed sick, "Maybe you should go back. This seems…"

"Levy, are you okay?" Gajeel kneeled in front of her. "Shrimp?"

"Gajeel, there's a child hanging up there," Levy rubbed her face in Gajeel's chest. "There's a child there."

Lucy began to tear up, "Oh my… why a child…"

"Alright, anyone who shows signs of hostility are now our enemies. Any contact, engage, but be smart about your flight or fight instincts," Erza growled.

"Aye…" Happy agreed.

Natsu clenched his fist, "I'm gonna make them pay for this."

Juvia clutched onto Gray's hand, and this time, he didn't say anything. I looked over at the new members, who seemed unfazed.

"Alright, we should continue," Nakina began to walk under the corpses.

Natsu yelled, "What's wrong with you!"

She turned to look at him, "What?"

"You aren't fazed at all by this! How can you just move on from this like they're nothing!" Lucy tried to calm Natsu down.

"Who are they to you?" she simply asked. "Do you know them?"

"No, we don't," Gray said.

"So who cares? This doesn't change anything. We are here to complete the mission, not stare at some dead bodies," Nakina said in a monotone voice.

Tanoshi chuckled, "Have you not seen a dead body before?"

"Wha'd you say?!" Gajeel stomped towards Tabiki. "I hope you know that knowing someone or not don't justify the way you are treating these people."

"Please," Tanoshi intervene. "Let's move past our moral differences so we can complete this mission."

"Moral differences!" Natsu scoffed. "You're apart of Fairy Tail now. This isn't okay."

"Though we do need to move on," Erza spoke, "I do see a need to show respect to these people."

My eyes landed on Hikari, who had tears in her eyes. Nakina saw this and stopped talking.

Kagayaku finally spoke his opinion, "I…agree with Erza."

We all looked at him, confused. It was quite random and his voice did not match the atmosphere. In fact, his face was turning redder by the second. I decided to change the subject.

"Well anyways," I sighed. "We need to take precautions now."

"Erza-san, you can uncover my eyes," Wendy said. "I won't look up."

"Oh, right," Erza went back to the front of the group. "Okay let-"

She requipped a knife and chucked it at the tops of the trees. A small doll fell down with a light thud. It was hairless, scribbles all over its face and body.

"We need to move fast," Erza began to run and we all followed her lead.

After a few miles, we were at the front of the gates. We split into our groups. None of us had time to bid farewell. It was merely a single nod of goodluck as we ran off in our cardinal directions.

The town was empty, building intact, but damaged. There were random splatters of blood around the roads, though there were no dead bodies. Everything seemed…uncomfortably peaceful.

"Levy-san?" Hikari spoke with ease despite our fast pace. "I'll protect you with everything I am."

"Huh?" Levy smiled sheepishly. "T-Thank you but that's not really necessary."

"Well, if Hikari vows to protect you, then I shall as well," Nakina reassured her.

I looked at Erza and smiled, "I think we'll make a great team."

She nodded, "Me too."

In the middle of the road was a small doll with words all over it.

"Hehehehe," a high pitched voice cackled. "One...three...two...five? FIVE DEAD PEOPLE FOR ME!"

"Who's there?" I shouted.

"Two babies against five humans leaves me with seven babies and seven corpses oh no no no," the voice continued to mumble. "NonOnOnNoononononoo don't DO THAT!"

We all looked at one another.

Before we knew it, a person was behind us, touching Levy's shoulder, "Oh you're the one they're trying to protect?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine : Dark Fairies

 **Erza's P.O.V. -**

"Levy!" I reached for her, but it was too late.

The girl had random clumps of hair around her scalp, writing all over her body like the doll. She pulled Levy back, her long nails dancing along her throat, threatening to cut.

"A. . . r," she said each letter individually. "My favorite type of prey."

"Give her back!" I growled.

 _Well...she's basically dead. Might as well leave and move on._

No! She's out friend. We're saving her.

"Mommy," she whispered into Levy's ear. "They're trying to kill me."

"M-Mavis?" Levy whispered.

"If you don't kill them, then they'll kill me," she stroked Levy's face gently. "You don't want that do you?"

Levy shook her head slowly, "B-But they're my friends."  
"Levy-san! Don't listen to her!" Hikari shouted. "Don't fall for it!"

The psychotic woman chuckled, "Now to make this more interesting...you see that doll over there? That's what's controlling her. Break it, and the curse is broken."

Though it seemed to easy, I requipped a sword and chucked it at the doll, but it disappeared. I looked around and saw it in Levy's arms.

"Levy…" Mira slowly walked towards her. "Hand over the doll."  
"Mira-san," Levy took a step away from Mira, "this is my child!"

Hikari smiled warmly at Levy, "Aww Mavis-chan is so adorable!"

We all froze, but then understood her tactic.

"Isn't she?" Levy rocked the doll back and forth slowly.

"Can I hold her, Levy-san?" Hikari asked slyly. "I'm really good with kids!"

"Oh mommy," the crazy woman spoke softly. "She's trying to hurt me."

"Get back," Levy held out her hand angrily. "I don't want to hurt you, Hikari, but for Mave, I will."

Hikari tried to move her puppet towards Levy, who curled herself around the doll protectively. Levy scribbled something into the air, which we soon found to be lightning. It struck the floor right in front of Hikari, who yelped and retreated back.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She nodded, "What are we going to do?"

"Kill the doll," Nakina hesitated for a moment before grabbing the hilt of her sword. "Or kill the magic wielder."

"Under no circumstance will we kill anyone other than the doll," Mira said sternly.

 _Oh Titania, so naive. Do you feel that? That magic crawling from Nakina's sword and Hikari's sword?_

Well, what is it?

 _Must I do all the thinking for you? Feel it. You should be able to recognize it._

I concentrated of the magic ripples flowing through the air. Mira...Levy...and then there was something different. I could feel the enemy's magic flowing through the air. It was dark, evil, and cold. But...it was similar to Nakina and Hikari's.

 _Do you know what that means?_

They use dark magic in their swords.

 _Bingo._

"Don't you dare use that sword!" I yelled to them.

Startled, Nakina dropped her hand, "Why?"

"You use dark magic in that sword. You could end up killing them!" I explained.

Mira turned to them, "You use dark magic?"

"Don't you?" Nakina asked Mira.

I bit my lip. Though that was true, I know Mira wouldn't kill them. They, on the other hand, were capable of many things.

"Well, yes…" Mira awkwardly agreed. "But I am against killing!"

"Just trust me," Nakina got into a low stance, her hand just barely touching the sword.

In a flash, she was in front of Levy, her sword leaving the sheath. In that moment, a chill moved through the air. It was even darker and colder than our opponent's.

"My my that's one dark fairy," the creeper cackled. "Let's see what you're willing to do for the mission!"

Levy had no time to summon anything, but instead turned to take the hit. Nakina had stopped the sword centimeters from her back. Frustrated, Nakina jumped back.

Hikari turned to me and smiled reassuringly, "Nakina won't go back on her promise."

"O-Okay," I tried to believe her.  
"I like you. You're willing to do what's necessary," the woman hissed. "My name is XYZ."

"Release her!" Nakina flew towards XYZ.

She twirled away, "Amazing powers!"

"Levy! Look at me!" Nakina screamed.

Levy turned in her direction, but her eyes were closed.

"Oh darling," XYZ scoffed. "I already know your little trick."

"Why doesn't it-"

XYZ smiled, "You can't harm a blind woman with your magic, silly!"

"That doesn't mean my sword can't find its way into your heart," Nakina glaced in out direction.

All of us were inside of the small house she had taken me to before.

"Do we have your permission to unleash our power?" Nakina asked quickly. "If I do, we can finish this quickly."

"You know, we could help," Mira said. "We're not useless."

"I know," Nakina said apologetically, "but you're emotions are involved. The difference between you guys and us is that you walk in the light. Your emotions are mixed into everything you do. We on the other hand, were trained mercilessly to separate emotion and magic to control it for the better. Plus, this mission was for you guys to see us in action, right? So do I have your permission?"

"You can't hurt Levy," I said. "You can't lay one finger on her."

"I know," she repeated.

I thought about what she said, "And you owe us an explanation later about what you mean by 'merciless training,' okay?"

"Yes yes," she promised.

The next thing I saw was Nakina standing, her back turned to us. Her hands were low, holding the sword perfectly straight. The fingertips of her right hand slowly began to turn pitch black. The spikes of black slowly crawled up her hand until it stopped at her wrist. There was a dark aura flowing from her body.

"What is that?" Mira asked to no one in particular.

"Let's just say, before we became fairies, we were kages (translation : shadows). It's the darkest form of magic," Hikari whispered. "But quite possibly the strongest type."

"Where did you guys learn such magic?" Mira asked.

Hikari kept here eyes on Nakina, "I think it's best to save that for the conversation we are going to have later."

In a blast, Nakina had her normal hand on Levy's shoulder, pushing her aside. Her hand consumed by black magic gripped the baby's face.

"NOO!" Levy screamed and grabbed Nakina's hand, clawing at it.

Nakina didn't respond and yanked the child from her hands.

"Please," Levy was sobbing. "Please give her back! Please please please!"

Nakina set the doll on the floor and raised her sword above it.

"You're a monster!" Levy yelled as she sent a huge block of stone towards Nakina, who merely crushed it with her right hand.

Mira turned away from the pitiful sight, unable to watch. Levy send numerous magical spells, but it was all useless. Finally, she rose from the floor and ran towards Nakina.

"I HATE YOU!" Levy bit at Nakina, clawed at her, and repeatedly hit her. Keeping her promise, Nakina did not lay a single hand on her.

 _You should kill Levy, Erza._

Shut up.

 _Look at her. She's a lunatic. Mind as well leave her with the doll._

We won't do that.

 _And why are you guys just standing here? You must hate her._

No, I am merely trusting in my other teammate and analyzing her problem solving skills.

 _At the cost of Levy?_

I didn't respond.

 _You're more evil than you think. Leaving Levy to suffer like this and embarrass herself to this point. I mean she's acting like an animal._

That's when Hikari's puppet snuck up behind Nakina and tackled her.

"I'm so sorry, Levy-san," Hikari tried to sooth her. "I'm sorry, but it's just a doll. It's a doll, Levy-san. Don't you trust us?"

Levy attempted to burn Hikari's puppet, but was unsuccessful.

"The ones I take out for missions are made of metal," Hikari explained. "She won't be able to break it in time."

Nakina sent the blade into the doll's head.

XYZ spoke, "Doo do doo my oh my how heartless are you to just kill it like that~"

"It's not real," Nakina twisted the blade until the head ripped off.

"Oh?" the woman chuckled.

The doll that had been there suddenly turned into a real baby. We all froze. Mira gripped her stomach and whirl around from the sight. I averted my eyes to XYZ.

"What-" I began to yell.

She shook her finger at me, "How brutal to murder a real baby~."

Nakina stood over the mangled body, unfazed. She simply yanked out her sword and flicked off some of the blood. She looked up at the woman.

"Your magic spell is broken now. Give up,"

XYZ chuckled creepily, "Oh?"

She pulled out five more dolls, "Are you willing to kill five more children for the sake of your teammate? If you can kill them all, then I'll leave you and your friend. Well they are just the body's of dead babies, but still. That would take a certain type of evil for someone to be able to do this."

"Very well," she walked over to the woman.

Levy was still fighting to break free, screaming hysterically.

 _Oh? Looks like you got an evil fairy on your team._

"Nakina! Don't do it!" I began to run towards them with Mira.

Before we could make it, Nakina had already sliced her blade through all of their necks. I refused to look down as the thunk of bodies echoed. It was far too loud to have been made by the body of a doll.

XYZ smiled, "I like you. I do hope we meet again."

XYZ disappeared. Levy suddenly stopped fighting Hikari's puppet. Hikari rushed over to Levy.

"Levy-san?" Hikari carefully lifted her puppet off of Levy.

"I-I'm so sorry," Levy was shaking. "I don't know what went over me. What happened?"

Hikari hugged Levy tightly, pressing Levy's face into her shoulder.

"Levy-san," Hikari whispered sadly, "don't look."

"What happened?"

"Just...please don't look," Hikari repeated.

Levy relaxed in Hikari's arms, "O-Okay."

I reached Nakina and shoved her onto the floor, "What did you do!"

"I did everything I promised," she said with a monotone voice.

 _She isn't wrong. After all, Levy is fine, XYZ wasn't killed, and only the dolls were shredded._

"THEY WERE-" I stopped for Levy's sake. "YOU SAW WHAT THEY WERE!"

"Erza-san," Nakina didn't fight me as I pressed her into the floor. "They weren't alive."

"Does that matter?" I screamed. "Even if they are just corpses, how could you just do that to them?"

"She kills babies, turns them into dolls and hypnotizes mothers into thinking that's their children. Once other people are able to kill the doll, it turns back into the original form, meant to faze her opponents," Nakina said quietly.

Mira pulled me off of Nakina.

"This won't solve anything," Mira moved us away from the bodies.

Nakina stood back up, "Isn't this what you wanted? I didn't kill anyone who was alive, I saved our friend, showed mercy to our enemy-"

"No," I sighed. "No. I don't…it's not even what you did to the dead bodies that makes me mad. It's the fact that you didn't even hesitate to do it! You did it like it was nothing. As if this was another one of your many massacres"

"Well what if it was?" she said.

I slapped her.

Mira gasped, "Erza! That's enough. I understand why you're upset, but…"

She failed to make an excuse for Nakina, who didn't seem bothered by my smack.

 _Erza Erza Erza. This is all your fault. I mean, it was you who told her to kill the dolls._

I didn't know they were babies.

 _Correction,_ _bodies_ _of babies. They weren't alive so why does it matter?_

It's just sick. She's sick for being able to do that without even being bothered by it.

 _Perhaps. But in the end, you're happy._

No, I'm not.

 _Don't lie to me. It's pointless. You're happy that Levy is safe. You're happy that Nakina did it so that you didn't have to. You're happy that you can pretend to be all righteous._

Shut up.

 _Haha. You're only mad because you know I'm right. In the end, you would've made the same decision._

"I'm sorry," I was the first to speak after the moments of silence.

She sheathed her sword, "It's fine. I'm sorry."  
"Don't be…" I looked down. "In the end, we would've done the same."

Mira didn't say anything, but merely nodded in silence. We remained like that, Hikari holding Levy in her arms, Nakina and I looking at one another, coming to an agreement of the situation, and Mira, who continued to nod.

 _At last you've accepted it._

Accepted what?

 _You're a dark fairy too._

 **Mystery P.O.V. -**

"Well well, won't you look at that. They've only fought one of my children and they're already showing their ugly side. Isn't that right, darling?"

"Mhm~. I'm surprised by that Nakina one."

"She'll make a fine daughter of mine...maybe that Scarlet haired one too. There's something...evil about her."

"Who should be send next?"

"Send my youngest immortal towards the one with the red headed boy. I think they'll have fun."

"As you wish, father."

"Oh! And I don't want any of them to leave this town under any circumstance. But I don't want any of them dead either, so send out my hounds before the sun sets."

"Hehe~ my my father…you really are the psychotic king."

"Yes, yes I am."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten : Body Parts

 **Wendy's P.O.V. -**

"Carla~" Happy skipped next to her. "Do you want a fish?"

"No," she continues to strut forward, not even glancing in Happy's direction.

"Carla~" Happy had to jog to keep up with her. "Will you teach me how to turn into a human too?"

"If you shut up, maybe," Carla walked even faster to get away.

I chuckled, "Aww Carla, be nice."

Natsu-san was ahead of all of us, quiet. I don't think I've ever seen Natsu-san so quiet before.

"Natsu-san?" I finally decided to ask. "Are you feeling alright?"

He turned around and gave me a huge smile, "Of course! I'M ALL FIRED UP FOR A FIGHT!"

Even though he was smiling, I felt that something was a little off.

"I wonder if Erza ran into an opponent…" Kagayaku-san whispered to himself.

"Erza?" Lucy-san giggled. "Good luck to anyone who runs into her."

"Same for Nakina. She'll shred them apart with her sword," Kagayaku-san shivered jokingly.

I laughed, "Same with Erza-san! But of course she'd never kill them."

Kagayaku-san didn't say the same for Nakina-san.

"But I don't think Erza and them would have fought," Lucy-san thought. "After all, this mission is mainly to test you guys."

"She's amazing," Kagayaku-san said quietly to himself.

I accidentally let my question slip out of my mouth, "How do you know you like Erza-san so much when you've just met her?"

"Well," he began, not offended by my question, "she dresses in armor to try and distance herself from everyone. And when she thinks so one is looking, she sometimes takes it off. But it's only for a moment. In those few seconds or so, she smiles in a sad, yet beautiful way. And before you know it, you're completely entranced by her. Her voice holds authority and the way she walks is like a queen. But at the same time she has built a wall around her heart like a child who covers themselves under their sheets from the monsters. Erza's just like a little girl who had to grow up too fast."

He seemed sorrowful in the way he spoke, as if he related to her in a way I never knew. From his descriptions, I could tell he had watched her carefully for awhile now. I had been worried, thinking that Kagayaku-san had other intentions, but after listening to him, I couldn't help but feel as though his feelings were true and deep.

"But I hear she's waiting for another," he laughed.

Lucy-san looked surprised, but then sighed, "It's complicated."

"I don't think it should be," he said. "I mean, I know that I'm ignorant to their situation, but no man is worthy of her if they're going to leave her waiting on them."

"He's a good guy," Lucy-san began to explain a little. "They've known each other since they were children...in a rough situation. She says that she got her courage from him."

"Nevertheless, it doesn't matter," Kagayaku-san mumbled. "I respect her decision. Who's that?"

We all looked up and in the direction he was pointing. It was a lanky man with long, black hair with a huge suitcase. From afar, he looked grey.

"Stop," his words were slurred, his voice deep and quiet. "Turn around."

"Who are you?" Natsu-san pointed. "What's up with your face?"

There were long lines of stitches all across his body, connecting different pieces of his flesh.

"What's up with your face?" he mimicked Natsu-san. "I don't like you."

He opened his briefcase slowly, but the contents were hidden. His movements were so slow, I didn't think that he could put up a decent fight.

"My name is 11Z3. Z3 for short," he pulled out a butcher knife. "Who are you?"

"Natsu," Natsu-san said. "Let us through and take us to whoever made the town like this!"

"Hmm?" Z3 pulled out a huge kitchen knife. "Well you're looking at one of them."

"Then too bad for you," Natsu-san sent a fireball towards the boy, who just held out one of his hands.

While his arm burned he spoke, "That's some fire you got there."

After a few moments, the fire disappeared from his arm.

"What the…" Natsu hissed.

"So they were right," he looked impressed by his own arm. "A dragonslayer. This arm was very hard to create in such a short time. Even father was impressed."

"Create?" Natsu asked.

He nodded, "I hate rushing, but luckily I had a spare arm lying around. Anyways, let's begin if you won't retreat."

Natsu-san and Lucy-san ran at Z3, full speed. I enhanced their movements by double. Carla and Happy flew above us, ready to pull us out if needed. Lucy-san called upon Virgo-san, who sent chains towards the man.

"Hmph," Z3 sighed. "Such a pain. Celestial mages are the most annoying."  
"Hey!" Lucy-san yelled. "Says who!"

He broke Virgo's chain with his butcher knife and took out a vial, pouring the contents onto Virgo, "Me, because each one requires a different formula."

Virgo-san poofed back into her key.

"What the-" Lucy-san pulled out Taurus.

I sent a whirl of wind towards Z3, who blocked it with a ax kick. Natsu-san and Lucy-san charged at him from both sides. Z3 grabbed Natsu-san's flaming hand, putting out the fire, and threw another vial onto Taurus. This time, Lucy-san called upon Cancer.

"What is this stuff?" Lucy-san growled in frustration.

Natsu-san inhaled, ready for a Fire Dragon's Roar, "I'm not sure."

He blew a huge ball at Z3, who blocked with his fireproof hand.

"You have a good arm there," Z3 examined Natsu-san's arm, "mind if I take it?"

He tried to rip off Natsu-san's arm, but was only able to cut Natsu-san before Happy pulled Natsu-san back. Z3 took out an empty vial and dropped Natsu's blood into it. In that time, Natsu-san and Happy were able to close in on Z3, punching into his chest. Natsu-san's hand ended up ripping through Z3's flesh and out through his back.

"Ah!" Lucy-san jumped back next to me.

Natsu-san seemed frazzled by what had happened, "What the…"

"Don't sweat it," Z3 continued to move as if nothing had happened. "I know you guys are all against the killing thing but you have no chance against me."

Natsu-san took out his arm and ran back to us.

"This is too boring," Z3 complained. "Let's make this more fun."

He dug through his bag and took out another glass tube. He smashed it against the floor, sending a rotten smell into the air.

 **Lucy's P.O.V -**

I coughed violently as the smoke entered my lungs. I felt someone grab onto my hand.

"Natsu?" I asked as it tugged me through the fog.

My vision was blurry. The thump of something falling onto the floor sounded next to me. I could feel my eyelids close, heavy from exhaustion. I swayed as the hand guided me through the fog. Eventually we made it out, only for me to see that it wasn't Natsu holding me, but Z3. I tried to pull out of his grasp, but failed. He smiled as he opened a bottle and blew the smoke towards my face. This one was stronger than the other. It only took a few seconds for the world around me to turn black.

Before I was completely out, I could feel his arms wrapping around my waist and legs. He carried me from the floor and began to walk.

"N-Nat...su," I barely managed to whisper.

Z3 chuckled, "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. At least not now."

I fell asleep.

 **Natsu's P.O.V. -**

I covered my nose and shook Wendy. She had fallen to the floor, unconscious. I could feel the smoke taking a toll on me too. Just then, I heard a small, frail voice.

"Natsu?" Lucy called.

I frantically scrambled up and began to follow her voice. My sense of smell and sight was useless. Just as I saw two silhouettes, Z3 threw another smoke bomb in our direction. The smog was thicker and much more effective than the other. I fell the the floor, trying to crawl my way towards them.

"Lucy!" I wheezed from the smoke. "*cough cough*"

"Nat….su," she said as Z3 picked her up and began to walk away.

"No!" I growled.

My body slowly began to relax and go numb. I couldn't move.

"Come on," I moaned as I saw him take her away. "No no no please no."

Eventually, I fell into a deep slumber full of anger.

 **Mystery P.O.V. -**

"Z3 took care of them?"

"Yes, he did just as you said. He avoided major battle and took the blond girl."

"Good, that'll pull out the darkness inside of them. Make sure Z3 treats our guest very well."  
"Yes, father."

"I'd like you to inform V that I want her to target the Hikari girl and the Gray boy in that last group before we send out the hounds."

"As you wish, father."

"Make sure to collect as much information as you can,"

"Yes, father."

Both people are staring at a large screen, showing all the Fairy Tail members and their location.

"I don't want any of them to find each other tonight. Each group should be on their own. Eventually, all of them should be separated."

"Consider it done, father."

"Good girl."

"Thank you...father."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven : Dead Lotus Poison

 **Gray's P.O.V. -**

Juvia held onto my hand as we walked. All of us were quiet after seeing the bodies hanging in the trees. I promised myself this would be the only time I held Juvia's hand like this in public. But…I couldn't help but notice how warm they were in mine.

Finally, Gajeel spoke, "So…are you two like a thing?"

"Juvia and Gray-sama?" Juvia looked up quickly. Of course!"

"N-No we aren't!" I protested.

Gajeel chuckled, "No no I know you two are but what about you, Tabiki? Anyone special?"

"WHAT!" I shouted angrily.

Tabiki shook his head, "No. If anything, Nakina and Tanoshi are the closest thing to a couple."

"Oh yeah?" Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Umm…they've been through a lot together, so they treat each other...differently than they do others," Tabiki explained. "We're all close, but they have a special bond."

"Juvia thinks that Gajeel and Levy are the cutest," Juvia smiled. "Juvia hopes that Gray-sama and Juvia will be that close later on. With two or three kids!"

My face began to turn redder and redder, "H-Hey-"

A girl jumped down from one of the trees and landed in front of me. Her eyes were huge and pink. She had long, curled hair with a little red dress. She waved at me, and then kissed my cheek.

"LOVE RIVAL!" Juvia screamed, summoning water all around us.

Suddenly, I began to float from the floor. I quickly created an ice dome around all of us, keeping me from flying into the air. I was twirling in the air, trying to catch my balance.

"Hello!" the girl grinned at all of us. "I'm V."

She flicked Juvia's forehead. Before long, Juiva fell to the floor. She tried to get up, but failed. V was too fast to keep up with. It was as if she moved without the toll of gravity.

"Watch out Gajeel! She's to your left!" I warned.

Gajeel managed to dodge, throwing a metal spear at her. She placed a peck on the spear, sending it flying towards me.

"Ugh!" I created a shield to block the metal shard flying at me. It crashed through most of the ice, shattering it.

Juvia groaned as she struggled to push herself up, "Juvia...feels...so...heavy…"

She was able to get up, only to wobble and fall back down. Gajeel turned his arm into a metal beam, swinging it around to try and hit V.

"Oh my, that's no good," V tapped Gajeel's metal, sending it through the ground.

"What the!" Gajeel's whole arm was buried into the floor. "Don't let her touch you!"

Juvia created a sphere of water around V and shouted at me to freeze it. I quickly did as she said. Suddenly, V appeared behind Tabiki, jumping out of the floor. Tabiki pranced back. When I thought about it, those two were not a good match. Tabiki could only use martial arts, so physical contact was needed.

Nevertheless, he quickly jabed at her stomach, sending her flying into the ice wall. Then, he ran up to her, kicking. She was able to move out of the way, causing Tabiki to kick the ice. He left a huge crack.

"Hitting a girl?" V sighed, coughing up some blood. "Not very gentleman like."

"I don't particularly care what gender you are," Tabiki continued to attack her at incredible speed, keeping up with her movements.

Eventually, V was able to land a flick onto Tabiki while he was punching her. He wobbled, but surprisingly was able to stay standing.

"My my," she purred, "what a strong boy!"

He ran at her, though his movements were slower. She easily dodged, flicking him again. This time, he groaned under the weight. She flicked him over and over again, until he was on his knees, panting.

"I've never met anyone who could breath under this! Let alone stand," V giggled. "How fun!"

While she was distracted, I created a chain ball of ice, which slowly began to drag me back down.

Tabiki huffed, "This body of mine...has been through so much worse than this...to prepare it for intense battle."

He slowly began to rise.

"Built to fight and fight until no limbs were left," he grabbed onto V's collar.

Eventually, he jumped up, just enough for him to land on top of her. She screamed in pain as Tabiki crushed her. In the end, she had to kiss Tabiki's cheek until he was levitating off of the ground. He didn't give up. I was still mid way between the floor and the ice above me. Tabiki grabbed her hair, forcing her to go up with him.

"LET GO!" she shouted as she smacked him.

"GRAY!" he called for me to blast her with ice.

I created a huge ice spear and threw it up towards her. Gajeel used his other hand to shoot little fragments of metal at her. Juvia sent big clumps of water towards her, attempting to suffocate her.

"Looks like I underestimated you," V sighed, closing her eyes.

Then, she put both hands out, as if she was giving up.

The next moment, she shouted, "May the toll of gravity send you all to the center of the Earth."

We, along with our magic, fell to the floor with such a force, I felt as though my bones were breaking. I felt as though a giant were stomping on me slowly.

"At this point…" I tried to move, "we'll get killed."

I noticed V, on the floor was well.

"You're gonna kill yourself too?" Gajeel laughed dryly.

"No," she smiled. "I just have to out last all of you."

"And what makes you so sure you can do that?" I asked.

"I've done this to myself millions of times, preparing myself for this," she said. "This is just the beginning."

Suddenly, Tabiki began to crawl towards her. Gajeel and Juvia were crawling as well. I joined them.

"If Juvia can still crawl," Juvia smiled. "Juvia can still kill the woman who kissed Gray-sama!"

Juvia began to crawl like a mad person with incredible speed. The floor underneath us began to crack. Gajeel turned his arm into metal, slowly extending it towards her. It was sharp, threatening to pierce her.

"You guys don't know when to give up," V intensified the pressure.

I chuckled, "Well, I most definitely won't die at your hands."

"I got a shrimp to take care of," Gajeel continues to move his spear arm towards V. "And a little girl at home. No way this weak magic will keep me from going back home to them!"

"Very well," V lifted the magic. "Then kill me."

Tabiki walked over to the girl and drew his sword. I reached out for him.

"No!" I shouted. "Don't."

"Why?" Tabiki did not take his eyes off of the girl.

"We don't kill!" Gajeel joined in. "I know it may sound stupid, but we don't. That's not how we roll."  
"Juvia is against this as well," Juvia suddenly smiled creepily. "But if Tabiki-san kills her, Juvia will be thankful because you got rid of love rival."

"If you do this," I spoke slowly, "you might destroy your chance at a life with Fairy Tail."

He finally stepped back. Suddenly, V began to shake and twitch.

"INPUTTING INFORMATION : SUBJECT GRAY → INABILITY TO KILL. SUBJECT JUVIA → WILLING TO KILL FOR SUBJECT GRAY. SUBJECT GAJEEL → INABILITY TO KILL / WIFE AND CHILD. SUBJECT TABIKI → WILLING TO KILL / WARNING," she fell to the floor after speaking, dead. Foam began to spill from her mouth.

I rushed over to her and saw a needle pierced into her body.

"Dead lotus poison," I concluded. "One drop in your body and you will most likely die. Two drops and you're dead in seconds."

"Gray-sama is so smart," Juvia complimented.  
Gajeel frowned, "If she had something like this on her, why didn't she try using it on us?"

"I...I don't know," I admitted.

Tabiki sighed, "If it comes down to it, and it's kill or be killed, then I hope you know I will kill without hesitation."

We continued our journey in silence.

 **Mystery P.O.V. -**

"Did V send you the information?"

"Yes, father."

"So far the only ones willing to kill are the ones with the swords?"

"But not the Scarlet haired one, father."

"Yes...yes..."

"Shall I send out the hounds?"

"Haha, yes. Let the fun begin."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve : Hounds

 **Mira's P.O.V. -**

Hikari kept Levy's eyes closed until we were a good distance away from the area. Finally, she removed her hands.

"What happened?" Levy asked.

Nakina and Erza were facing opposite directions. None of them spoke.

"Umm," I thought of a way around the details. "She got away, but we were able to find out a little more about her magic."

"What'd you find out?" she pushed for answers.

Hikari smiled, "How about we-"

The earth shook. Each rumble was louder than the previous, something was coming towards us.

"What is that?" I whispered.

Erza equipped a sword and pointed it towards one of the shops, "Levy go into the store."

"No! I'm not useless just because I have a kid now," Levy complained. "You said to leave if there is serious danger threatening my life. Nothing happened."

"Fine," Erza sighed. "But I'm not underestimating you. I just…"

I looked at Erza sadly. I felt that there was another reason behind her words.

"Mothers play a huge role in their child's life," Erza finally finished. "And if there is ever a chance I think that something could stop you from going back to Mave-"

"Erza," Levy smiled. "I would never let anything stop me from going back to Mave. If it makes you feel better, I'll stay right next to you."

"Levy-san can stay with me," Hikari volunteered. "Even if I can't use as much dark magic as Nakina, I still have enough to protect Levy-san!"

"I think that's a good idea Erza," I agreed with their plan. "I think that it's good Levy can go out on missions like this."  
"Hikari," Nakina walked up to her and touched her shoulder. "With the authority empowered to me, I hereby allow you to release your dark magic if either you or Levy-san are in danger."

"Very well," Erza gave in. "But keep in mind that your main priority is to protect Levy. Nothing else."

I nodded. If it ever came down to it, Hikari should be able to fight without worrying about the opponent's life. But, this is the first time a Fairy Tail member has ever said it. Something inside of me churned uncomfortably, thinking about what was going on in Erza's mind.

 **Erza's P.O.V -**

 _Kill them._

Who?

 _Anyone you want to._

I'm no killer.

 _Yes you are...you just don't know it. Not yet at least._

Quiet.

 _You'll see._

"Erza?" Mira waved her hands before my face.

I finally snapped out of it, "Yes?"

She transformed into Sitri, "Let's get em."

I smirked and equipped a long sword. I was relieved that my magic came back to me. Finally, we saw the beast. It was a huge figure running on all fours. It was as tall as the surrounding buildings with teeth bigger than the doors. The monster before us was a hound. For a moment, it just stared at us. The dog opened its mouth and a robotic voice began to speak.

"OUTPUTTING INFORMATION : SUBJECT LUCY → CAPTURED. LOCATION → MAIN TOWER AT THE CENTER OF THE TOWN,"

I hissed at the voice, "Give her back!"

"I'll rip you apart if you do anything to her," Mira took a few steps forward, her hand outstretched.

The dog began to run towards us. Mira sent a huge blast of magic at the dog, sending it flying backwards. As the fog lifted, we saw two smaller hounds.

"Fragmentation," a lazy low voice. "Careful though. After three hours they'll both be full sized."

"Who are you!" Nakina glared at one of the roofs where a small figure was seen.

He chuckled, "Z3. I fought with your little dragon and...what was her name...Lucky? No no...Lucy!"

Z3 had a hole in his chest where his heart should've been. He held a small briefcase and looked at us lazily.

"She's a fun girl...maybe I'll have some fun with her later," he licked his lips.

Mira sent another blast at him, her eyes burning with anger, "You dirty little-"

"I'm not here to fight," Z3 had his arm out, blocking the blast. His arm fell off from the attack, but there was no blood. He didn't even seem fazed.

"Then why're you here?" Nakina said.

"I heard about your magic," he pointed at Nakina. "Able to face XYZ head on! I'm impressed. I've never seen someone able to kill those babies with such ease. I applaud you."

I turned towards Levy, who had tears in her eyes. Hikari stood between Levy and Z3, blocking her. She frantically tried speaking to Levy, but she didn't listen.

"Babies?" Levy pushed Hikari aside and walked towards Z3.

"Oh? You didn't know? XYZ uses the bodies of babies and turn them into dolls. The dolls that Nakina so brutally murdered? Those were actually children. And she knew that," he smiled. "My my...secrets? Not so good, is it?"

I glared at him, "Come down and face us like a proper mage!"

"I don't need to prove anything to you. I'm quite busy right now, but maybe some other time. I think you already have a lot to deal with," he turned away and disappeared.

Levy turned and faced Nakina.

"Tell me the truth," she whispered. "Tell me that he's lying."

"It was you or them. I simply chose you," Nakina sighed. "I can't say he's lying while also telling you the truth."  
"How could you kill children!" Levy began to sob and scream.

Hikari reached for Levy, who slapped her hand away, "Did you help her?"

Hikari froze, "Lev-"

"DID YOU HELP HER!" Levy yelled.

"HEY!" Nakina shouted at Levy. "Back off of her."

"Or else what? You'll slaughter me like you did those kids?" Levy laughed.

Nakina unsheathed her sword and pointed it towards Levy, "Only if you hurt Hikari."

Mira ran in front of Nakina and pushed her sword down, "No."

"Did any of you try to stop her?" Levy asked quietly. "Anyone?"

"They all did," Nakina answered. "All of them were against my decision but I doubt anyone regrets my decision. If we went back to that moment, anyone would've-"

"Show me," Levy growled at her. "Show me what happened!"

After recovering from the blow, the hounds began to rise again.

"I know you can show me everything before those dogs take one step towards us. So do it."

I knew that was true. Nakina could show us the events of thirty minutes in a second.

"I SAID SHOW-" Levy wasn't able to finish because all of us were transported back to the battle with XYZ.

We saw ourselves fighting, pleading, screaming. Then, Nakina killed the first doll. Levy sunk down to her knees when she saw it transform into a child.

 _Nakina stood over the mangled body, unfazed. She simply yanked out her sword and flicked off some of the blood. She looked up at the woman._

" _Your magic spell is broken now. Give up,"_

 _XYZ chuckled creepily, "Oh?"_

 _She pulled out five more dolls, "Are you willing to kill five more children for the sake of your teammate? If you can kill them all, then I'll leave you and your friend. Well...they are just the body's of dead babies, but still. That would take a certain type of evil for someone to be able to do this."_

" _Very well," she walked over to the woman._

 _Before we could make it, Nakina had already sliced her blade through all of their necks._

Everything froze before us.

"Satisfied now that you know the truth?" Nakina walked before Levy.

Levy didn't move for a moment. She just stared at the screen. Suddenly, she burst out screaming and attacking Nakina, but none of her hits touched Nakina. They merely passed through her.

"You can't hurt Nakina in her own mind," Hikari whispered. "Don't waste your energy Levy-san."

"I DON'T CARE!" Levy screamed hysterically while pounding at the air.

Nakina bent down onto her knees, "If you wish to seek some closure through me, then fine."

The next punch hit Nakina, but she did not fall over. Her face had a scratch now. We tried to intervene, but Nakina trapped us inside of a glass container. Levy continued to hit her while crying, leaving marks all over Nakina. Blood trickled from her nose and lip, but she didn't seem fazed. Finally, Levy calmed down.

"Finished?" Nakina asked.

We were transported back to reality. I looked at Nakina and was shocked. All the wounds were visible and bleeding, just like in Nakina's mind. I didn't know physical injuries were transported back to reality.

"How-" Mira began to ask.

"It's up to me whether or not injuries in my mind carry over to the physical," Nakina responded.

"We need to go!" I shouted as the dogs ran towards us. "Don't attack, it'll just be more work for us later!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you," Levy said to Nakina.

The animals began closing the space. We were at a crossway.

"Fine! Levy, Mira, and Hikari go that way. I'll go this way with Nakina. Mira, you're in charge!" I ordered.

"Alright! Let's meet at the designated area as soon as we can!" Mira nodded.

I smiled weakly, "See you there."

"See you there."

And with that, we made a silent promise. A promise that we would all see one another again.

Or at least, we hoped.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen : Secret Town

 **Natsu's P.O.V. -**

Something nudged my arm roughly, waking me up. Wendy was beside me with Carla.

"N-Natsu-san," Wendy was crying. "Please wake up."

"Mmm~" Happy rolled around on the floor, asleep.

"Wendy?" I slowly sat up, suddenly, I remembered everything. "Where's Lucy!"

"He took her," Wendy quickly began to push Happy and me towards the trees. "But Natsu-san, we need to regroup with the other before we go out to find Lucy-san."

"We need to get Lucy now," I stood up and shook Happy awake.

"But Natsu-san…" Wendy sighed, "it's already almost 7:00. If we don't regroup the others will worry and it might cause a lot of trouble. It'd be better to search for her together."

I nodded sadly. I knew Wendy was just as worried as me.

"Wait…where's that Kagayaku?" I looked around.

"Kagayaku-san told me to wake you up while he did a quick search around the area," Wendy said. "He hasn't come back though…"

"How long has it been?"

"Around ten minutes?"

I frowned, sniffing the air, "He smells close…"

Kagayaku burst out from the trees a few feet away from them. He frantically waved his hands around, shouting at them to run. Behind him, two giant hounds pounced towards them. I stood up and created a ball of fire in my fists. Kagayaku shook his head.

"If you hit them, they divide and grow!" Kagayaku shoved them forward. "Hurry up and run! We need to get back to the others!"

"B-But let's just kill it!" I resisted his pull.

"I already tried that!" Kagayaku growled. "Hence the three dogs!"

"Kagayaku-san…there's only two," Wendy pointed.

A hound jumped out of the trees, almost crushing Happy under its foot. I angrily punched its side. It stumbled backwards.

"See? Easy," I grinned at Kagayaku, who drew his sword.

"Idiot," he began to morph into his tiger like form.

From the place I sent one hound, two arose. They were smaller, but slowly, they began to grow.

"We might be late to meet the others," Wendy began to power up. "We should hurry."

"Aye!" Happy flew beside Carla, who transformed.

She walked next to Wendy, "Let's do this!"

"Carla~ teach me how to do that!" Happy wined.

 **Mystery P.O.V. -**

"I think I want that tiny girl too. Why didn't he grab her along with the other girl?"

"My apologies, father. I'll bring her as well."

"I want one person from each group. Maybe that…Levy girl or Hikari - was that her name?"

"Yes, father."

"And…Gray. That woman seems to be very attached."

"Yes, father."

"Yes...I've decided. Wendy, Hikari, and Gray."

"Yes, father."

"Who knew some of them used dark magic! How fun. Oh and who's that scarlet haired woman?"

"Erza Scarlet, father. She appears to be the team leader."

"And the white haired girl with her? The one with dark magic?"

"Nakina, father. She was the one who killed the children."

"I want you to put those two together."

"What do you mean, father?"

"Push both of them to their limits. I want to see that _Erza_ break and I want Nakina to show her true colors."

"Yes, father."

"Has Z3 finishes the body?"

"Yes, father."

"And the Lucy girl is in the container?"

"Yes, father."

"Alright. Send in the blue haired boy. Oh, before I forget, I decided on a present for you."

"Thank you, father."

"It's Erza."

"I…I don't understand, father."

"She's yours to play with."

"Ah…"

"Are you not pleased with my gift?"

"N-No, father. I'm grateful for your generosity. Thank you, father."

"But I don't want you to have her yet."

"When then, father?"

"After her dark magic grows a bit more. You're dismissed. Make sure to send the blue boy."

"Understood, father."

"Oh...and I think it's time to show them the city. Don't you think?"

"Yes, father. But how will you get them to meet together and separate how you want them to?"

"Use the dogs and send in some shadows. Just get them where I want them to be."

"Yes, father."

 **Z3's P.O.V. -**

I hauled the body onto the metal table and pulled the cart beside me. I began to groom his deep blue hair, dress the boy, and finalize the tattoo on his face. My creation. Finally, I inserted the chip into his head.

"Wake up," I smiled and sat down onto the sofa as I watched him slowly rise from the table. "Morning beautiful."

He stared at me blankly.

"You take orders from me, understand?"

"Yes, master," he stat before me on the table.

"You'll be taking on a fake identity. I already downloaded the information onto your chip."

He thought for a moment, "Jellal Fernandez."

"Correct. Now who are you looking for?"

"Erza Scarlet. Presumed to be the lover of Jellal Fernandez. Grew up in the Tower of -"

"Yes yes I already know all of that," I leaned back. "But what's your mission?"

"Hurt Erza Scarlet."

"I have a script downloaded for you. Make sure to say some of that stuff in front of her friends. Humiliate her."

"Yes, master."

"You get extra points if you can make her cry," I chuckled at the thought. "Oh I'd love to see that."

"Erza...cry…" he seemed to be in a daze. "Erza...Scarlet…"

"Is there a problem?"

"No, master," he stood up. "When shall I go out?"

"When I send you the signal."

"Yes, master."

 **Gajeel's P.O.V. -**

Tabiki walked before all of us. Drops of blood slowly dripped from his wounds and onto the floor. Gray glanced over at me, silently encouraging me to start a conversation.

"Uh...so you're kind of bleeding," I pointed. "Wanna get that healed?"

"I'm alright," he responded in a monotone voice.

I looked over at Gray and shrugged. He shook his head with disapproval.

"So...wanna talk about you and your friends some more?" I tried again. "I feel like I still barely know you-"

"What if that's for a reason?" he hissed.

Gray stepped forward, "Hey! We've been nothing but nice to you! What did we do to deserve your attitude?"

"If you want someone all nice and fake you should go talk to Tanoshi. I'm not your guy."

Juvia stormed toward him, "Don't yell at Gray-sama!"

He let out a long sigh, "I-I'm sorry. It's just that I don't trust that easily. When people ask about my friends or me...I just think of the worst."

"What could we possibly do?" I scoffed. "Kill you?"

"Perhaps. Or something much much worse," he shrugged. "I still haven't found a solid reason for me to trust you."

Gray smiled, "Well for one, if we wanted to do something, we would've done it already."

"Yeah! And Juvia would have sent you to the ocean if Juvia didn't think Tabiki-sama belonged in Fairy Tail!" Juvia grinned.

I joined in, "I used to be in a dark guild. But after meeting them, they showed me what love is. If they could change me, they can change you."

Tabiki smirked a bit before stopping. He allowed us to catch up with him.

"What do you want to know?"

I thought for a bit, "I want to know about Tanoshi and Nakina."

"Juvia never knew Gajeel-sama was so curious about love!"

"It's just that I want to know what makes them so close like lovers...but keeps them from becoming a couple?" I chuckled. "I mean love is love."

"Tanoshi and Nakina have been through the most...trauma. I won't go into that since that's their privacy. In that way, they've supported one another and helped one another cope. The reason they're apart is a bit more complicated. Both have an incapability for love. They don't know love. To them, love is just...pain."

"So...they don't love you?" Gray whispered to himself more than to Tabiki.

"They do in their own way. They try to cover our brokenness with their strength. I think that that's how they try to express some sort of emotion."

"Ah…" I nodded.

"I've never heard them even say that word before," Tabiki sighed. "What about you guys? Have anyone like that?"

"Hmm…" Gray thought. "I think...that Erza has had the most trouble with love. But she's told us that we're her family and that she loves us."

"Are you sure?" Tabiki turned around. "Some people just aren't capable of love. She might be one of them."

"Hey!" I barked. "You don't know anything about her!"

"She's got it in her," he laughed to himself. "The same magic as us. She reminds me of Nakina. Broken and powerful."

Juvia slapped Tabiki. Everyone froze. Gray tried to stop her, but I shook my head. Tabiki looked at Juvia daringly.

"D-Don't talk about Erza-san like that!" Juvia screamed.

He shook his head, "You'll see."

Suddenly, something huge ran into them, tossing them a few feet. The ground began to shake and buildings, houses, and broken began to rise from the floor like a lost city.

"What are those things?" I shouted over the noise.

"Hounds?" Gray grabbed Juvia's hand, stopping her from falling.

"And a huge city!" Juvia yelped as a piece of rubble fell beside her. "We really need to find the others!"

"We need to take care of that thing first!" I tried to change my fist into iron, but couldn't. "And I need to get some iron."

I didn't think much of the city at first. That was my mistake.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen : Jellal?

 **Erza's P.O.V. -**

When the city erupted, Nakina and I rushed and regrouped with Mira, Hikari, and Levy. We quickly ran into one of the homes to escape from the dogs.

"What _is_ this place!" Mira sighed. "Everything just keeps appearing out of nowhere!"

I looked around the small house. We walked into the living room where a small sofa and TV waited. I peeked into the kitchen. It was a two story house. I saw a small kettle on the stove. Quickly I placed my hand near the pot.

"It's warm!" I whispered to the others.

"Well of course it is, I just put it on!" an old woman crept down the stairs.

I shuffled towards Mira, "My apologies, we ran in without-"

"Oh you're so cute," she chuckled. "Are the dogs at it again?"

"The hounds?" Mira clarified.

She smiled at us, "Yes. Come sit down. I'll pour you some tea."

"We're okay Mrs…" I glanced over at Mira who gave a slight nod. "We need to get going."

"Mrs. Shadow," she said. "Don't you want to hear about this town?"

Suddenly, we were transported into a white box. Nakina.

"We should threaten to kill her. Tourcher if necessary," Nakina shook her head. "Gather some information and then leave."

"Okay…let's not do that," Mira smiled worriedly. "But definitely no tea. Last time Erza and I drank someone's tea we were drugged and then torchered."

"She seems to know about the dogs," Hikari chimed in. "It'd be helpful to learn a bit about them, don't you think?"

"But the others…" Levy said. "We need to regroup."

"I think everyone will be thrown off by this new town that appeared," I responded.

 _Kill her_.

No.

 _You want to._

Why would I kill her?

 _Because she's lying._

"You're lying," I turned back toward the old woman.

She looked at me innocently, "About what?"

Nakina looked at me and telepathically communicated with me. _Erza, drop it. We need to collect information from her - Nakina._

 _She won't tell you anything important._

Nakina looked at me strangely. _How do you know? - Nakina._

The old woman walked before me and almost growled, "What. Did. You. Say."

"Nothing," Mira grinned.

 _Move back Titania._

Why are you telling me this?

 _I want you to die by your own hands. Not by that monster._

I took a step away from her, "S-Sorry."

"Spin," she whispered. "Spin and spin."

 _Erza! Dodge and counterattack! She's gonna try to punch your face._

Great.

I quickly ducked down. I hadn't noticed her fist moving, but luckily I avoided it at the right moment. I rapidly hit her stomach, sending her to the stairs. Suddenly, the house began to spin and the door opened, revealing a swirl of colors outside. Z3 appeared at the door and grabbed Hikari and Levy by the hair.

"Heyyy," Z3 raised his eyebrows. "Turns out we want them too. They can keep the blonde company."

"Put her down!" Nakina screamed and pulled out her sword, sending a rush of cold wind through the room.

A dark swirl began to appear on her right fingertips. Slowly, the mark began to spread upward. Her eyes changed.

"Nakina! Don't release it!" Hikari squirmed.

Nakina began to shake uncontrollably as it moved and covered her whole arm. She charged at Z3, swinging her sword. He jumped out and the door shut. Nakina's blow blew half the wall away. She walked to the door and opened it.

"Wait Nakina we need to stay-" Mira reaches toward Nakina.

She turned around, but Nakina didn't seem like herself. She seemed…darker. Colder. Without a word, she leapt into the swirl of color, leaving Mira and me alone with the unconscious woman.

"What did she do?" I asked Mira.

"I don't know but now our group is…" she sighed. "We need to find the others."

Eventually, the house began to slow. When it stopped, Mira and I opened the door and stepped outside.

"Luckily Natsu wasn't with us," I chuckled.

When I glanced back up, I saw a man standing a few feet before me. His hair was a deep ocean blue. His smile was warm and welcoming.

"J-Jellal?" I smiled, confused.

 **Lucy's P.O.V. -**

I woke up in a small cell with magic dampening handcuffs on my hands and knees. I groaned as I shifted into a sitting position.

"Soar huh?" Z3 was sitting before me. "I'm sure your friends will be soar too. When they wake up, of course."

Groggy, my voice came out horse, "Where am I?"

He got up and walked towards me, putting his face only inches away from mine, "Welcome to your new home."

I tried to create some distance, but it was useless.

"You'll make a beautiful wife," Z3 whispered into my ear.

He placed his hand on the wall and slowly moved his face closer to mine. Our lips were only a few millimeters apart.

"I didn't think you loved love," I said nervously.

"Oh darling," he sat across from me. "You are not my type. And I am no monster. But my brother might not be as gentle with you."

Thankful, I rested my head against the wall. Suddenly, I saw Hikari and Levy lying on the floor behind Z3.

"Hey!" I squirmed over to them. "Give them back to everyone else! Keep me here instead. Just take them back. I'm beggi-"

"Don't bother to beg me, it's not my decision who is captured," Z3 explained. "I'm not a huge fan of these…abductions. I prefer body parts; not from live people of course, dead ones."

"Why are you speaking to my wife so sweetly brother?" a deep husky voice came from outside of the cell. "Don't make your elder brother jealous."

"My apologies, elder brother," Z3 stood up and bowed before leaving.

The figure standing in the dark walked in. His hair was long and tied at the ends. It was a charcoal black. His eyes were blood red, only dark at the pupils. The man was tall and muscular. Despite his creepy vibe, he was incredibly handsome. Almost as beautiful as the new Fairy Tail members.

"Good afternoon," he pulled me up with his strength, pressing me against him.

"W-Who are you?"

"Your husband of course," he sat down in the chair Z3 had been sitting in, leaving me sitting on his lap as he caressed my hair.

I tried to squirm away, but he held me tight, "Please release me."

"I am your husband and lover," his eyes locked into mine and slowly, I began to feel heavier and heavier. "You love me."

"I…I…" I began to forget the words forming in my mouth.

"You love me."

"I love…" I stopped myself.

"You're quite stubborn," he chuckled.

I realized my hand had moved onto his chest, my head against his shoulder and neck.

"What are you doing?" I slowly began to snap out of the trance.

He stood and placed me on the seat. My so called 'husband' squatted before me, his hands on my knees. I began to feel the strange and mysterious weight once again.

"You love me, Lucy," his voice was raspy and deep.

I could feel myself moving, but I couldn't control myself. My hands cupped his face. I tried to fight the words slipping from my mouth.

"I-I l…lov…love…"

He moved his hands and touched mine, "Don't fight it honey, just relax."

"I love you," the words felt silky and beautiful, but internally I wanted to gag. "I love you, husband."

He chuckled and kissed my cheek, "I know."

He uncuffed my hands and legs. I stood beside him, holding onto his arm and leaning against his shoulder. Everything felt right. Like I had found the matching piece to my heart. I felt…complete.

"Lucy, are you ready for our life together?" he lifted a ring up before me.

"I can't wait," I took the ring and placed it on my finger. Suddenly, all other thoughts of Natsu, Erza, Gray, and everyone else melted away. It was only my husband and me.

"Oh right," he smiled warmly at me. "My father has named me Cupid."

"Cupid," I fell in love with his name too.

"Lucy," he guided me out of the cell and around a huge castle. "Welcome home."

"Where are we going, love?"

"I think you should meet father before anything else, don't you?" he chuckled into my ear. I enjoyed the sound of his laughter as if it were my own.

I squeezed his hand, "Whatever you want."

His desires had become mine.

My life was his.

We were one.

"Follow me, Mrs. Love," Cupid led the way to his father.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen : Potential

 **Erza's P.O.V. -**

Jellal stood before me. I couldn't believe it.

"Erza?" he slowly began to walk towards me.

I smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I…" he glanced over at Mira, who waved. "I came here to see you."

"How'd you find us?" I laughed.

Jellal was only a foot away from me now, "Melody."

Suddenly, Jellal grabbed me and pulled me into an embrace. I could feel the blood rushing to my face. Mira chuckled and turned around. Before turning, she winked at me, making my face even redder.

"Umm…" I patted his back awkwardly. "H-Hi."

He put his hand on my face gently. His other arm was still around me. I held my breath in shock. Jellal began to run his fingers through my hair. Mira looked over her shoulder and jumped around, excitedly.

"Take off your armor," he whispered into my ear.

I got rid of the armor and hugged him.

"If only you weren't a monster," Jellal sighed. "Maybe I could love you."

"What?"

He moved his hand onto my neck. His hands were gentle and soft and warm. Jellal began to squeeze his hand, but I didn't stop him.

"I could feel it," Jellal whimpered. "That dark magic coming from you. That voice in your head. I remember it when I was building the tower! Trust me, this is the best for you."

Mira transformed and sent a blast toward Jellal. I twisted and covered Jellal with my body. When Mira's blast hit my bare skin, I yelped in pain. I could feel the burn melting part of my skin and burning through my shirt. With his other hand, he grabbed my open wound.

I screamed in pain, "AGHH!"

"Ah!" Mira charged at Jellal, her fist ready.

"Don't touch him!" I pushed Jellal away and took the hit. Her attack broke one of my ribs. Jellal let my neck go in order to avoid the attack.

"Erza!" Mira caught me before I hit the floor. "What are you doing?"

 _I like that boy._

…so do I…

 _Looks like you'll have to kill the girl then._

Mira won't touch him.

 _She'll try._

I won't let her.

 _So kill her._

No. I can take it.

Jellal charged at me, a knife in his hand. Mira held her hand up, ready to blast him. I pulled her arm down and threw myself at his weapon. I yanked the blade into my thigh and pushed him back away from Mira, who I stumbled into.

"He's trying to kill you!" Mira growled.

"Then let him," I gasped in pain. "I'd rather it be me than you or Jellal."

"Erza," Jellal stood up. "You should've died in that tower."

"Shut up!" Mira screamed.

"You are an unlovable monster," Jellal scoffed. "A heartless human. A motherless child who grew up socially incapable of anything other than destruction. Everyone hates you, Erza. **I hate you**."

Something inside me broke as me said those words. Breathing became harder. Mira tried to cover my ears and shelter me, but I could still hear him.

"I'm doing the world a favor killing you. You know Fairy Tail? Your so called 'family'? They all hate you. They never wanted you. Melody felt their emotions. Even Mira loathes you. She lies to you because she pities you!" Jellal shouted at me. "Your mother got rid of you because she knew the monster you really are!"

Everything around me became quite.

 _He speaks the truth._

…

 _This is what I've been telling you._

…

 _You're hated. Broken. Motherless. Friendless. Loner._

"ERZA!" Mira looked my eyes on hers. "Don't just listen to him. Listen to me."

 _Don't listen to her, she just pities you._

"You…you pity me," I cried. "You never liked me before you just got nice because- because you hate me."

"Erza…"

"I've always known…" tears fell from my eye slowly.

"That's right. You know you used to be the outcast in Fairy Tail. Do you know why that changed? Because they pity you. You're just a burden to them."

"Erza-san? Mira-san?" Wendy approached from the corner of a building. "J-Jellal-sama?"

Wendy rushed over to Mira, who kept her behind her. I clutched my thigh, which was bleeding. Jellal sighed and held his hand up, ready to send his magic flying at me. Wendy pushed past Mira and jumped in front of me.

"Jellal-sama! What are you doing? It's Erza-san!" Wendy shouted. "Please!"

"I know who it is, Wendy," Jellal spoke. "Now move aside. I don't want to hurt you. You don't use dark magic. You are pure."

"Dark magic? Erza-san doesn't use dark magic," Wendy turned to look at me and gasped.

"Maybe not yet, but her potential makes her deadly," Jellal accused me mercilessly.

She quickly squatted before me and began to heal my thigh. Mira also moved up, ready to defend Wendy and I at any moment.

"Erza," Jellal frowned. "Do you remember when you tried to kiss me back in the field?"

Wendy and Mira froze for a moment, only to return back to normal after a few seconds. I could tell they were pretending not to make a scene for me. Nevertheless, I could feel the shame and embarrassment of knowing that they knew of my…attempt.

"Who knew Erza Scarlet would ever try and make a move on someone," Jellal chuckled to himself. "Well...try. The moment you started to move toward me I went into this...shock. I didn't know what to do. But you closed your eyes and moved toward me slowly as if you actually thought that I would kiss you back."

I tried to stop myself from shedding more tears, but the longer he went on, the harder it got to hold them back.

"You were so desperate for some sort of love. Some sort of approval from someone. I almost kissed you back out of pity, but you're just too disgusting to kiss," Jellal spat at me. "I came up with a fake lie just to get you off of me. Thank goodness you did."

 _This guy really doesn't hold back, does he. I like his character. Him and I would be good friends._

This isn't Jellal.

 _Yes. It. Is. Stop trying to hide away from the truth just because you don't like it. Grow up._

"I know how you feel about Wendy and Mira. Wendy is like a daughter to you and Mira is like a sister to you," Jellal smiled to himself. "But you know, Wendy never wanted to help you in that fight with your mother. In fact, she just wanted you to die. Mira also never really liked you. She was just heartbroken over her little sister so she tolerated you. But after Lisanna came back, you're really nothing but a nuisance to her. You love Wendy and Mira so much, but they really don't care about you."

"That's not true!" Wendy screamed. "Erza-san means so much to me!"

"Stop lying, Wendy," Jellal sat down, as if he was resting. "You're scared of her."

"And I love Erza as if she were my sister. That never changed, even when Lisanna came," Mira put her hand on my shoulder, but I shook it off.

"Do you want me to show them how desperate and sad you looked?" Jellal teased.

Mira stood up, "E-Erza...isn't desperate. That wasn't weak or shameful of her. It was brave. She went after what her heart wanted for the first time so boldly."

I looked down sadly hearing her words. My heart was torn between believing Jellal and believing them. Something inside me...I felt as though I had known all along that I didn't belong in Fairy Tail.

"Brave?" Jellal scoffed at her. "Have you ever seen Erza cry? She's not strong or brave. Without her armour, she's just a soft child who can't handle any stress. She's just over dramatic. Trauma? Yeah right. She's just weak."

"Trauma?" Wendy looked at me, but then covered her mouth, realizing she might've said something wrong.

Jellal hissed evilly, "PTSD, depression, anxiety, nightmares, suic-"

"How do you...how do you know that?" I asked. "And not all of those are true."

"Maybe not yet, but knowing you, you're bound to face all of them," he said.

Mira looked at me worriedly, "Which of those are true?"

"Maybe some minor PTSD from the tower and being torchered, nightmares occasionally, though not strong -yet- and some suicidal thoughts," Jellal answered completely spot on. "The rest will come after today haha."

"S-Suicide?" Wendy had tears in her eyes. "Tell me he's lying."

Suddenly, Jellal stood up.

"I'm getting tired. Plus, four against one isn't fair. I'll come back to eliminate you later, Erza," Jellal jumped up. "Goodbye, for now."

He pointed behind us, showing Carla flying at full speed towards us. Jellal disappeared into the air. Wendy and Mira seemed to relax a bit.

"Erza, we need to talk abou-" Mira stopped when she looked over at me.

 **Mira's P.O.V. -**

I looked at Erza, who's eyes were blank. Something was different about her. I couldn't believe all the things that Jellal had said about Erza. There were...so many things that I didn't know about her. I thought I had known her well…I thought we were close.

If only I knew Erza's troubles would only grow exponentially. If only I knew before… maybe I could've saved her.


End file.
